Bears, Oh My!
by Kathy Rose
Summary: Hoshi is reunited with two cats she once rescued, but a third creature complicates matters.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** This is a sequel to Lions and Tigers, which I wrote several years ago. I've always meant to bring back the protagonists of that story -- not our regular heroes, but those four-footed felines who helped save _Enterprise_. It's not necessary to read the first story to follow what happens in this one.

CHAPTER 1

The Boomer freighter _Southern Cross _was unable to outrun the ion storm. The crew and their family members hunkered down, battening down everything they could, and took refuge in the innermost recesses of the ship, hoping the extra bulkheads between them and the fierce storm outside would provide enough protection to survive.

They did survive, but the same could not be said of their ship. Once the storm had passed and they began assessing the ship's condition, they found they were in trouble. All major systems were down, with the engine so severely damaged that it wouldn't run again without a major overhaul. They operated life support and communications from battery reserves until another Boomer ship arrived and took them on board. That ship, its own systems stressed by doubling the number of people it normally carried, hastily set course for Earth.

_Enterprise_ arrived at the scene soon after. Tasked with making the damaged Boomer ship space worthy enough to be returned to Earth, Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew wereto make sure the structural integrity of the _Southern Cross _was sound enough for towing. Then they would use the grapplers to take the freighter in tow and begin the slow trip to Earth. In a few days, if all went according to plan, _Enterprise _would turn the ship over to a space tug that had been dispatched to meet it halfway.

Although Jon didn't like using _Enterprise _as a glorified cart horse, he understood the need to do so. With no crew on board the _Southern Cross_, anyone coming across the abandoned ship could claim it as salvage. The ship's owner and crew could lose their livelihood if that happened. And if it was an alien species that found the ship, there was next to no chance the _Southern Cross_'s rightful owner would receive compensation.

Jon frowned as he gazed at the bridge viewscreen showing the image of the abandoned Boomer ship. The ship's name could be seen on its bow. "The _Southern Cross_," he said thoughtfully. He looked over at the communications console. "Isn't that...?"

Ensign Hoshi Sato nodded. "Yes, sir. It's Torpedo and Warp Core's home."

Hoshi still missed the two cats that had temporarily made _Enterprise _their home, even though it had been more than a year since she'd seen them. She had originally stumbled across them in a butcher's stall in alien marketplace where they were being sold with other animals whose ultimate destination would have been a dinner plate. Hoshi had bought them and sneaked them on board, but she almost immediately had been found out by the captain. Well, by the captain's dog, who'd sniffed them out, to be exact. Of everyone on board _Enterprise_, it had taken the most work for Porthos to be won over by the cats. But as soon as he had been, Jon had become much more agreeable to the idea of two more pets in residence, especially when they'd begun eradicating an alien rodent infestation on board.

All along, Hoshi had realized that the cats had been someone's pets before she'd found them, but she never thought she'd find out who. A series of coincidences had led her to their owner, Hannah, the young daughter of the captain of the _Southern Cross_. The cats apparently had been stolen from the family's cargo ship during a trading mission. Hoshi had realized that Hannah was much more attached to the cats than she was, and she couldn't in good conscience keep them, no matter how much she wanted to.

"Initial scans show the main docking port of the _Southern Cross _was damaged by the storm," Subcommander T'Pol reported from her station. "_Enterprise _cannot dock with the ship. However, it appears a smaller auxiliary docking port, suitable for a shuttlepod, is functional."

"We'll have to take a shuttlepod over, then," Jon said.

As Jon began issuing orders to ready a shuttlepod and begin repair work, Hoshi ran through the communications spectrum. The _Southern Cross'_s automated distress call was still broadcasting. Then she picked up another call, buried in the same frequency. Oftentimes personal messages were piggybacked in such a manner. As she listened, she almost dropped her earpiece in surprise. The private message was for her.

"Captain!" she called out as Jon rose from his chair, heading for the turbolift to lead the first repair group onto the _Southern Cross_.

He turned to look at her. "What is it, Hoshi?"

"Not everyone got off the _Southern Cross_."

Jon frowned at her before casting a questioning glance at T'Pol at the science station, who said, "There are no human biosigns on the ship."

"You'll have to adjust your scanner for other life forms," Hoshi said.

As T'Pol did as she requested, the puzzled look on Jon's face cleared, only to be replaced by one of amused comprehension. "You mean to tell me that those two cats are over there?"

"There was a message embedded in the distress call," Hoshi explained. "They didn't have time to take Warp Core and Torpedo and another pet with them. Hannah, the captain's daughter, asked me to take care of them."

Jon lifted his eyes heavenward. Hoshi could practically read his thoughts. He hadn't been terribly happy with the cats being on board before, although he had come to accept them after they'd begun proving their worth by catching those nasty rat-like things that were damaging some of the ship's internal relays. And they had helped repel alien intruders when _Enterprise _had gone to assist a ship under attack. Warp Core had leaped onto one of the intruders and Torpedo had tripped another. In both instances, the cats' actions had provided an opening for the _Enterprise _crew to subdue the aliens. As a result, the captain had arranged a farewell ceremony naming Warp Core and Torpedo honorary crew members of _Enterprise _before they'd been returned to Hannah. Hoshi had always wondered if Jon had gone along with the hokey ceremony because he'd been glad to see the cats leave, or because he knew how much she hated to give them up.

But after serving with Jon for a couple of years, Hoshi knew exactly which of his buttons to push in certain situations. When he was faced with a decision between practicality and compassion, most often compassion won out. "Sir, life support on the _Southern Cross _isn't going to last all the way to Earth," she said. "Unless we bring the cats over here, they probably won't survive."

Jon let out a long breath as he considered the situation. Hoshi caught T'Pol's eye, who had argued on behalf of the cats the first time they'd been on board.

"Our repair teams will need to take along portable generators to maintain life support while they are there, as well as to provide power to make the repairs," the Vulcan first officer said. "Ensign Sato is correct. It is highly unlikely the cats will survive the trip to Earth, even if life support is sustained. For one thing, there is the matter of feeding them. In addition--"

Jon held up his hands in surrender. "What exactly is this other pet?" he asked.

Hoshi shrugged apologetically. "I don't know, sir. The message only said their names: Pumpkin and Smokey -- we know them as Warp Core and Torpedo -- and Batty."

"Batty?" he asked.

Hoshi nodded.

"No indication of what it might be?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. Just 'Batty'."

Jon exhaled heavily and made his decision. "All right. But you're going with us. While the rest of us prepare the _Southern Cross_ for towing, you find the cats and whatever that other animal is."

As Hoshi got to her feet to follow Jon into the turbolift, she could have sworn she heard him mutter, "It better not be another bat."

* * *

Hoshi could tell the air was a little thin when she followed Jon onto the _Southern Cross_. She felt like she couldn't take a deep enough breath to fill her lungs. And it was cold. She shivered as she stepped out of the way so that a repair team loaded down with equipment could exit the shuttlepod.

Jon heard her strained breathing. "It should only be a few minutes before Trip gets the power generators hooked up. We'll be able to breathe easier then."

Jon turned in the direction of the bridge. He was going to prepare the helm for the ship's towing. Normally that would be a job for someone like Ensign Travis Mayweather, but for some reason, _Enterprise'_s helmsman hadn't piloted the shuttlepod.

Before Jon had gone more than a few steps, however, she called out to him. "Sir? It might be a good idea to turn off the distress call when you get to the bridge."

He turned back to her. "Good thinking, Hoshi. We don't want any uninvited visitors showing up and complicating our job." He resumed walking, but not before he gave her an approving nod.

Hoshi took a few steps down the corridor in the opposite direction and activated her flashlight so that she could see better than the emergency lighting would allow. The message hadn't said anything about where the pets might be. She pulled a scanner from a loop on her uniform. She'd already set it to scan for small life forms on the short ride over in the shuttlepod.

Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker, who had been out in the corridor directing the team unloading the equipment, called to her. "Hey, Hoshi! Hold up a minute." He disappeared back into the shuttlepod, only to return with the improvised cat carrier he'd made after she'd snuck Warp Core and Torpedo on board _Enterprise _all those months ago. After the cats had been returned the first time, she'd given it back to him, assuming that he'd recycle the metal. Luckily for her, he hadn't.

She'd been too worried about the pets, and too busy keeping up with Jon after he'd told her to come along, to think about what she'd do when she found them. It was a good thing Trip had remembered the carrier and had gotten it from wherever he'd stored it. There was no way she could round up two cats and whatever the other animal might be by herself and get them all on the shuttlepod. She could put Torpedo and Warp Core in the metal carrier, although it would be a tight fit, as both cats were large. She'd just have to deal with Batty, whatever it might be, when she found him...her...it? The name certainly wasn't any help in determining gender, much less species, she thought.

"Thanks," she said, taking the carrier from him.

"No problem," he responded with a smile. "I've kind of missed Warp Core. Engineering hasn't been the same since he left."

Hoshi chuckled. Warp Core had taken a shine to the engineer. The long-haired orange cat had liked to sit on the warp control platform railing to watch the engineering crew work.

As Trip walked away, Hoshi focused on the scanner. Sure enough, three life forms were registering. They appeared to be in close proximity to each other in the crew quarters, if she was reading the data correctly. Hopefully, they'd all be in the same compartment or cabin. As she started off down the corridor, she was halted by another shout.

"Hoshi!" Lt. Malcolm Reed called out.

She turned to see the tactical officer striding purposefully toward her. He was another _Enterprise _crew member who had become fond of the cats, although he'd never admit it. Torpedo had appeared to like Malcolm, too. Although the short-haired, gray-and-black striped cat would roam the ship, he always wound up in Malcolm's office in the armory for his afternoon snooze.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping get this ship ready for towing?" Hoshi asked.

"No, Trip and his staff have that covered. I thought you could use some help so I...uh...told Travis that I'd pilot the shuttlepod." He turned his head, but not before Hoshi saw a sheepish look on his face. When he looked back at her, however, there was a sardonic gleam in his eyes. "Besides, I am in charge of the armory, and I've brought along a secret weapon to help us persuade the cats to come with us."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a can of tuna.

Yet another thing she should have thought of! When she'd brought the cats on board the first time, they'd hidden under her bunk and had refused to budge. Malcolm had coaxed them out with a can of tuna.

"Come on, then," she said, gesturing down the corridor. "I think I've got a fix on them."

* * *

A/N: There's more to come, and soon. Reviews would be greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed, as well as to those who took time to read the first chapter. I hope you're all enjoying this story.

CHAPTER 2

Malcolm took the cat carrier from Hoshi as they walked down the corridor to the _Southern Cross'_s crew quarters. Hoshi smiled to herself. Malcolm always wanted to be out in front, leading the way and checking for any danger, but for now he had to follow her, as she was the one with the scanner showing them which way to go. Not that she was expecting any trouble. They were on a Boomer cargo ship, not a Klingon battle cruiser. But, they still didn't know what type of animal Batty was.

"With a name like that, it's probably another flying rodent for Doctor Phlox's collection of alien animals," Malcolm said.

"I think that's what the captain is afraid of," Hoshi confided as they walked. "But, for your information, bats are the only flying mammals on Earth, and they're actually more closely related to primates than to rodents."

"How do you know so much about bats?" he asked.

"I like animals. When I became acquainted with Phlox's Pyrithian bat, I did some research." As she glanced again at the scanner readout, she said, "Whatever Batty is, it's a pet. Surely it can't be dangerous."

Malcolm grunted and shifted the carrier to his left hand. Hoshi could see the fingers on his right hand twitching. She was suddenly glad that he hadn't brought along a phase pistol. How would she ever explain to Hannah if their security officer shot one of her pets? Still, Malcolm was right to be cautious. Sometimes pets that were perfectly docile for their owners could act unpredictably around people they didn't know.

They turned a corner to find a corridor lined with doors. In the dim emergency lighting, Hoshi was just able to see an open area with tables and chairs at the other end of the hall. "This must be the crew's living area," she said.

Malcolm peered over her shoulder at the scanner. "Looks like they're in the third compartment on the right."

When they reached the proper door, Hoshi turned to Malcolm. "We need to be careful that they don't run out into the corridor. We may never be able to catch them if they do that."

"I'm not concerned about Torpedo and Warp Core," Malcolm said. "Knowing them, they're probably hiding, given the change in their routine. I'm more worried about whatever the third animal is." He huffed. "I should have talked to Phlox about an animal tranquilizer."

"Would you stop it!" Hoshi said, amused and annoyed at the same time. If she would have known Malcolm would be so anxious about tracking down one little pet, she would have asked for a tranquilizer for him. "I'm sure Hannah's parents won't have a dangerous animal on board, not with children around. This is a family-operated cargo ship, remember?" She took a deep breath. "Here we go."

The door slid open when she pushed the access button. At least there was enough power to operate the ship's internal mechanisms, Hoshi thought gratefully. Otherwise, they would have had to wait until the generators were on line or use hand-grips to physically pull open the door.

The interior of the room was pitch black. Hoshi and Malcolm cautiously stepped in, the beam of Hoshi's flashlight illuminating only a tiny sliver of the inky darkness. Either there was no emergency lighting in this room, or there was but it wasn't working. She jumped as the door suddenly slid shut behind them.

"Sorry," Malcolm said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "Don't want them escaping, do we?"

"Right," she said breathlessly. Any more surprises and she was liable to hyperventilate. She took a deep gulp of air, hoping that Trip got life support back up soon. As if on cue, she felt a slight breeze caress her cheek.

"The portable generators are hooked up," Malcolm said. He put the carrier on the deck next to the door and peered around. "Well, where are they?"

A faint meow came out of the darkness.

"Torpedo? Warp Core?" Hoshi called quietly. "Is that you?"

Another meow, louder, came from her right. She turned the flashlight in that direction and saw a neatly made bunk with several bundles of fur near the pillow. For a moment, she thought she'd found the cats, but the animals on the bed were of the stuffed toy variety. They must be in Hannah's cabin, Hoshi realized, seeing other toys and games on shelves above the bed. She aimed the light under the bunk. Two real cats -- one fluffy orange and one gray with black stripes -- were lying next to each other, their legs tucked under them in the classic meatloaf position. Their eyes looked enormous in the darkness. The orange one -- Warp Core -- mouthed a silent meow.

"There you guys are!" Hoshi said. She handed the flashlight to Malcolm, then got down on her knees to reach for the cats as Malcolm directed the light under the bed. Torpedo sniffed warily at her hand, as did Warp Core, who licked her fingers.

"I think they remember me," Hoshi said happily.

"Ssssshhhh!" Malcolm said.

Hoshi, grasping Warp Core by the scruff of his neck and pulling him out from under the bunk -- no easy feat considering how large he was -- asked, "What's the matter?"

"We still don't know what the third animal is," Malcolm said. "It's in here, right?"

Hoshi glanced at the scanner, which she had placed on the deck next to her. Despite the darkness, she could read the information on the glowing screen. "Yes. That's what the readout says."

A high-pitched, blood-curdling shriek issued from behind them.

Malcolm whirled around, the beam of the flashlight whipping about erratically. "What the bloody hell was that?"

Hoshi, her ears ringing, wondered the same thing. Still on hands and knees, she scrambled around to face the direction from which the screech had come. Warp Core, free from her hold, headed in the other direction, skittering back under the bed where he joined Torpedo backed up against the bulkhead.

The bobbing beam of light revealed a desk, a chair, and a built-in dresser, its empty drawers open as if someone had packed in a hurry and hadn't bothered to close them. Malcolm had started to aim the flashlight in another direction when a slight movement on top of the dresser caught his eye. He jerked the beam back. Perched atop the dresser, almost invisible in the darkness, was a small black cat. It blinked twice, as if to say the bright light annoyed it.

"Batty, I presume?" Malcolm asked sarcastically, adding, "What a stupid name for a cat!"

"Oh, I don't know," Hoshi said, slowly getting to her feet and approaching the watchful creature. "It's black, like many bats, and look at the size of those ears!"

Indeed, the cat's pointed ears looked too large for its small head. That, and its seated position on the edge of the dresser, conjured up an image of a bat ready to launch itself into the darkness. Or maybe a gargoyle. But Hoshi wasn't about to tell Malcolm that. He was pessimistic enough as it was.

Hoshi carefully extended her hand toward the creature. After a moment, the cat stretched out its neck to sniff her. Then it resettled in its seated position, all four paws lined up with white claws standing out starkly where they hung over the edge of the dresser top, and gazed steadily at her.

A plaintive meow came from under the bunk. The black cat turned its head in that direction and hissed loudly.

"Maybe 'Bossy' would have been a better name," Malcolm said, warily eyeing the black cat. "I think the other two are afraid of it."

Hoshi began petting the black cat, rubbing her fingers over its head between its ears. The cat tilted its head so that her fingers could scratch behind one of its ears. "I think it likes me," she said in relief.

Ever practical, Malcolm said, "They won't all fit in the cat carrier at the same time."

"Maybe I can carry this one," Hoshi suggested. "Try putting the other two in the carrier."

Malcolm retrieved the metal cage from where he'd left it by the door and brought it closer to the bunk under which Warp Core and Torpedo were hiding. He opened the door and stepped back. During their previous stay aboard _Enterprise_, the cats hadn't shown any qualms about getting in the carrier, but this time, neither of the cats under the bed stirred.

"Time for your secret weapon?" Hoshi suggested.

Malcolm nodded and dug into one of his pockets for the tuna. He handed the flashlight to Hoshi before placing the can on the desk and tugging the lid off. As soon as he opened it, the aroma of fish floated on the newly recirculated air.

Immediately, the sound of demanding meows filled the room. Torpedo and Warp Core slunk out from under the bunk, going over to twine around Malcolm's ankles. He looked down at them, leaving him unprepared for an attack from another quarter. "What the--!" he exclaimed, jumping, as Batty landed with a thunk on the desk next to him.

"I think it's hungry," Hoshi said.

The tiny cat was gobbling down the tuna as if it hadn't eaten in days. For all Hoshi knew, maybe it hadn't. She hadn't seen any food bowls in the cabin.

"Now I know there's a definite hierarchy among them," Malcolm said, gazing down at the two larger cats on the deck. They'd stopped rubbing against his legs and were sitting patiently, staring intently at the little cat gorging itself. "Batty must get to eat first."

"Well, if it eats it all, that won't help us any," Hoshi said. She edged closer to the small cat and slid the can away from it. Batty, watching Hoshi's hand closely, licked its lips several times but made no move to protest. Turning so that her back wasn't to the small cat -- and earning a chuckle from Malcolm because of it -- Hoshi leaned over and put the can inside the cat carrier.

Torpedo dashed for the carrier, beating Warp Core inside by a whisker. As they voraciously attacked what was left of the tuna, Malcolm tucked their tails into the carrier and closed the door.

Malcolm straightened and indicated the black cat. "Maybe I ought to carry that one. It might put up a fuss."

Hoshi murmured her agreement and moved aside. The two larger cats had finished off the tuna and seemed perfectly content in the carrier. Warp Core was purring loudly. He blinked at her before settling down on his haunches. Next to him, Torpedo rubbed his chin on the bars of the carrier's door. Hoshi looked back at Malcolm as he approached the small cat, which was engrossed in grooming itself. He slowly held out his hand, only to hastily withdraw it when the cat spat at him, raising one paw with claws extended as if to strike him.

"Well," Malcolm said, somewhat taken aback. "Perhaps it was named Batty because it likes to bat at things."

"Or maybe it's not quite sane," Hoshi said, teasing.

Malcolm shot her a glare. "I have never met a cat that didn't know exactly what it was doing. Why don't you try it?" he dared her. "I'll get the bandages ready for after it slices you into little ribbons."

Batty's claws, even though they were small, did look sharp. Hoshi took a deep breath and tried to project an aura of calm. She extended her hand, allowing the little cat to sniff her. Then she rubbed under its chin. The cat closed its eyes, a barely perceptible purr issuing from it.

"All right, sweetheart," she said softly. "We need to get you out of here. I'm going to pick you up now."

She cautiously moved a little closer, put one hand under the cat's belly and another under its hindquarters, and slowly scooped it up. When the cat didn't protest this maneuver, Hoshi let out a small sigh of relief and carefully brought the cat to nestle against her chest. Its purring became louder.

"You really do have a way with animals, don't you?" Malcolm said.

Hoshi smiled in the darkness at the note of envy in his voice. Sometimes a non-threatening posture worked better than a big stick, or in the case of a security officer, a phase pistol.

"Let's get them to sickbay," she said. "Phlox needs to check them out to make sure they didn't suffer any ill effects from the ion storm."

A/N: Still more to come.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Perhaps a note about the title of this story is in order. Both it and the title of the story to which it is a sequel, was inspired by "The Wizard of Oz." In that movie, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man are hurrying through a dark forest, chanting, "Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!" Thanks again to those who reviewed. Not only is it a great ego-stroke, but it lets me know if a chapter is effective.

CHAPTER 3

"These two appear to be healthy, although somewhat stressed. That's to be expected, given the circumstances."

Doctor Phlox turned away from the readout on the wall bio-monitor in sickbay to look at his patients. Warp Core and Torpedo were sitting side by side on a biobed, their attention riveted by the beeps and clicks coming from the medical equipment. Phlox used a hand-held med scanner to take more readings. Torpedo drew back, but Warp Core arched his whiskers forward, curious about the device.

"They've put on weight," Phlox noted as he looked at the readout. "Warp Core now weighs fourteen kilograms, and Torpedo, thirteen and a half." He tsked and said to them, "You two need more exercise. Or less food." He turned to his third patient. "Now, let's take a look at this little one, shall we?"

Hoshi, cradling Batty in her arms, tried not to tense, aware that any change in her body language would be picked up by the cat. So far, the black cat had seemed content to view the other cats' examinations, but Hoshi wasn't sure what Batty's reaction would be when the doctor encroached on its space.

Phlox had been prepared for the cats' visit, however. He dipped a hand into a pocket on his tunic and withdrew several small pellets. Torpedo and Warp Core immediately perked up, going to stand on the edge of the biobed closest to the Denobulan physician and meowing demandingly. Even Batty seemed interested, its ears and whiskers aimed forward.

"This is something I've developed for my Pyrithian bat, but I think these animals will also like them," Phlox said as he placed a pellet on the bed in front of Warp Core and another in front of Torpedo. After a quick sniff, they began devouring the treats. The doctor placed another pellet in his palm and slowly held it out toward Batty. One inquisitive sniff and the cat was squirming in Hoshi's grasp, trying to reach the food.

Phlox sidled closer to Hoshi. He let Batty take the morsel and eat it. He placed another treat in his hand and, as the cat took it in its mouth, efficiently transferred the small animal out of Hoshi's arms and held it against his chest. Batty blinked, startled but apparently not upset by its change of location. As soon as it had swallowed the treat, it began sniffing Phlox's tunic. It sneezed once, shook its head, and resumed sniffing.

"I can't believe Mister Reed said you were vicious," Phlox said to the cat. "You seem fairly docile to me."

Malcolm, who had been off to one side to stay out of the way, and perhaps out of reach of Batty's claws, rolled his eyes.

Phlox moved over to one of the counters. Carefully depositing the cat on the surface, he reached for his med scanner and activated it. "Female!" he announced.

"Oh, lovely!" Malcolm said. At Hoshi's displeased look, he explained, "It could mean a lot of fighting between the males over the female if she...um...you know."

"Goes into heat," Phlox supplied, adding cheerily, "Not to worry. She's been spayed. And as I know from the examinations I gave them during their last visit, both Warp Core and Torpedo have been neutered. We won't have a feline population explosion any time soon." Checking the scanner's readout, he reported, "She's not quite two kilograms. Tiny little thing, isn't she? Relatively good health. She's a good deal older than the two males, though. Roughly sixteen Earth years old."

"Cats can live that long?" Malcolm asked.

Batty, still licking her lips after the treats, reached out with one paw, claws sheathed, and gently touched the med scanner in Phlox's hand, making the physician chuckle. "Much longer," Phlox said. "With proper care, some have been known to live thirty Earth years. A few even longer."

A loud thunk accompanied by a forceful grunt of expelled air announced Warp Core's departure from the biobed. The orange cat began slowly walking around sickbay, stopping to inspect various pieces of equipment and furniture from floor level. Torpedo maintained watch from his higher vantage point on the bed.

"You know," Hoshi said as she watched Warp Core saunter around, "they've had something to eat. The next thing they're going to want to do is use a litter box. I didn't have time to get that set up in my quarters before I went over to the _Southern Cross_."

"That's been taken care of," Malcolm said. "When I told Travis I was going to pilot the shuttlepod over, I also asked him to arrange for those things. With any luck, they should be waiting for you outside your cabin."

"You had best be getting them there," Phlox advised Hoshi. "I'm assuming all three will reside in your quarters?"

The doors to sickbay slid open before Hoshi could answer. She was ready to inform whoever was entering to shut the doors so that the cats didn't get out, but the new arrival had seen the cats and was already pushing the button to close the door behind her. Warp Core halted his low-level inspection and trotted over, fluffy tail up and waving, to greet T'Pol with a high-pitched, squeaky meow. Torpedo also jumped from the biobed to approach her, echoing the other cat's greeting in a somewhat lower yet no less strident voice.

Hoshi had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at T'Pol's reaction to the feline welcoming committee. The Vulcan's eyes had grown wide and, although she stood her ground as the cats rubbed against her calves, she was definitely tilting away from them. T'Pol looked up, her gaze roaming sickbay, until she saw Batty. "I see the third pet is also a cat." Carefully and with as much dignity as possible while trying not to step on any paws, she made her way to the little cat where it was sitting on the counter. As she walked by Phlox, she handed him a data padd. "The _Southern Cross'_s log entries concerning the effects the ion storm had on their crew that you requested, Doctor, as well as the status of that ship's medical supplies."

"Ah, yes," Phlox said, activating the padd and glancing at the information on the screen. "Thank you, Subcommander. I want to be certain that there are no potentially toxic medical substances that may have been affected by the system outages or the storm's radiation. It could be an unpleasant surprise waiting for the repair crews at Earth if there is."

As Phlox became engrossed in the report, T'Pol took another step closer toward the watchful black cat.

"She's in charge," Hoshi commented. When T'Pol looked at her questioningly, she added, "The other two seem to defer to her."

T'Pol had come within striking distance for the little cat, but it made no move against her. Batty, her green eyes unblinking, gazed up at the Vulcan, whose gaze also did not waver.

"As she is much smaller than the others, her dominance could be a sign of greater intelligence," T'Pol said.

Malcolm snorted and turned away, his hand over his mouth as he tried not to laugh. Hoshi smiled wryly as she said, "I don't know if Batty's smarter than the other two, but speaking from personal experience, I know that smaller members of a species sometimes have to project an aura of toughness in order not to be pushed around. And those two--" She indicated Torpedo and Warp Core, the latter of which had leaped onto one of the counters and was sniffing the jars and canisters there. "--can be pretty pushy."

"Indeed," T'Pol remarked. She gazed thoughtfully at Batty for a few moments, then reached with one hand for the cat.

Hoshi held her breath as T'Pol awkwardly put two fingers between Batty's ears and stroked. Batty closed her eyes and began to purr, leaning into the fingers.

"I don't understand why you think that cat is hostile," Phlox said to Malcolm.

"It was ready to take my hand off when we found it on the _Southern Cross_," Malcolm responded indignantly.

Phlox shrugged. "Maybe she just doesn't like you."

With an amused twinkle in her eye, Hoshi said, "Or maybe she thinks you're like Warp Core and Torpedo, and you need to be put in your place."

Malcolm, who had been glaring at Phlox, switched his disgruntled gaze to her.

T'Pol, meanwhile, continued to pet Batty. "I did some research into cats the first time the other two were on board."

Hoshi recalled that, the first time they'd been on board, T'Pol had, with perfect Vulcan logic, defended the cats when the captain had been trying to decide what to do with them. She had told Jon about cats being used for rodent control on sea-going vessels in the past. But T'Pol wasn't one to make idle conversation. Hoshi knew there had to be a reason she'd mentioned her research about cats. "Oh?" she prompted.

"Yes. If you plan to have all three stay in your cabin, even if you allow Warp Core and Torpedo to resume their former roaming of the ship, it could lead to stressful conditions for all three, especially if they don't get along."

"I don't anticipate letting Batty out of my quarters," Hoshi told her, "just the other two."

T'Pol turned to face her. "That may be sufficient. However, if you find that is not the case, I would be...willing...to share my quarters with this one." She gestured toward the small black cat.

Hoshi was surprised. T'Pol wasn't particularly fond of _Enterprise'_s official pet -- Captain Archer's dog. Hoshi knew Porthos's smell was offensive to the Vulcan. Besides, there were more than eighty people on board, more than one of whom no doubt would be willing to take in Batty if necessary. Why would T'Pol be interested in having a tiny cat share her quarters?

T'Pol must have sensed her concern, for she said, "She reminds me of a sehlat, a native Vulcan species. They are often tamed as pets." T'Pol looked back at Batty.

Batty yawned widely, showing off two small white fangs. Torpedo choose that moment to leap effortlessly, as if levitating, onto the countertop less than a meter away. Batty immediately tensed, hissed, and brought one paw up to swat at the other cat. Torpedo merely stared at her, then flopped down onto his side, his paws and tail dangling over the edge of the counter. He blinked lazily, and Batty subsided.

"I don't know, Subcommander," Hoshi said as she watched the interplay between the cats. "They might get along."

"I must return to the bridge," T'Pol said, moving toward the door. She paused and turned back. "My offer stands. I would be willing to share my accommodations with one of the cats." Her gaze rested on the small black cat where it was sitting. "That one."

After the doors closed behind T'Pol, Hoshi turned a perplexed gaze on Phlox. "That was strange. T'Pol offering to take in a pet? She can barely tolerate Porthos."

Phlox's eyebrows lifted. "She said they reminded her of a native Vulcan species. Perhaps she's homesick."

Malcolm brought the cat carrier over to the biobed and set it down. He scooped up Torpedo from the counter. "There's one thing in that cat's favor over Porthos, as far as T'Pol is concerned," he said.

"What's that?" Hoshi asked curiously as he put the cat in the carrier.

"Cats don't smell like dogs," he said.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Much appreciated.

CHAPTER 4

Hoshi hurried onto the bridge. "Sorry I'm late, sir," she said to Jon as she headed to her station. "I overslept."

She sat down at the communications console and quickly began reviewing its settings. Concentrating on her task, she nevertheless sneaked a glance at the captain. Jon, seated in his command chair with a data padd in hand, was giving her a tolerant smile. She hoped it was tolerant. She rarely, if ever, was late for her duty shift. But she'd gotten to bed well past her usual time the night before, what with getting the cats settled in and the slow but steady stream of visitors who'd come by her cabin to see them after news of their arrival had gotten around. Warp Core and Torpedo had made many friends during their previous stay. Sociable creatures that they were, they had seemed to enjoy all the attention last night.

Batty, on the other hand, had remained aloof and disinclined to interact with anyone. The small black cat had found a spot on top of Hoshi's dresser from which to watch all the comings and goings. She'd even hissed at a few crewmen who'd tried to pet her. The only person she'd allowed to come close to her besides Hoshi had been -- of all people -- Travis. Batty had gone so far as to allow the young man to rub her under her chin, but as soon as she tired of the attention, she'd bitten him, albeit gently, on the knuckle. Travis had taken the hint and had kept his distance from her after that.

Jon hadn't been one of the people who had stopped by to see the cats. Not that Hoshi had expected him to. But she knew he was perfectly aware that the cats were the real reason she'd been late this morning. She half expected a lecture about it. She chanced a look in his direction again. Sure enough, he'd put down the padd he'd been holding, and was on his feet, heading in her direction.

"I understand it's three cats, and not two cats and a bat," he said when he stood in front of her communications console. "Are they all squared away?"

"I think so, sir," Hoshi responded.

"Are they--?" He made a circular waving motion with his hand.

Hoshi understood what he meant. The last time Torpedo and Warp Core had been on board, they'd eventually earned the run of the ship. "Batty's still in my cabin, but I took Warp Core down to Engineering, and Torpedo took off like his tail was on fire the moment I opened my cabin door."

"Probably patrolling the ship like he used to," Jon said with a slight chuckle. "No doubt he'll wind up in the armory later."

"No doubt," Hoshi agreed with a smile, then sobered. "But I don't think he was in a hurry to get out of my cabin so he could wander around so much as he wanted to get away from Batty."

"Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good."

Hoshi shrugged, then stifled a yawn. She hadn't overslept long enough to make up for how late it had been by the time she'd finally been able to go to sleep. "I'm thinking about taking T'Pol up on her offer."

The non sequitur confused Jon. "What would that be?" he asked.

Hoshi glanced toward the science station. T'Pol's second in the science department, a young man whose serious demeanor rivaled the Vulcan's, was currently manning that station. She looked back at Jon. "I'm going to give it another day or two, and see if things settle down. If not, T'Pol's offered to keep Batty in her quarters."

Jon's eyebrows rose. "Settle down?"

Hoshi sighed. "Batty doesn't get along well with the other cats, sir. There was some squabbling last night about who got to sleep where." She absently rubbed her left forearm where she'd been clawed, collateral damage when Batty had forcibly informed the other two cats that she was the only one who was going to share Hoshi's bed.

"And T'Pol said she'd take care of the trouble-maker?" Jon asked.

With a nod, Hoshi explained, "T'Pol said Batty reminded her of a sehlat."

"If I'm not mistaken," Jon said thoughtfully, "a sehlat is a large Vulcan animal with very long fangs."

Hoshi nodded again. She had looked that information up in the ship's database after she'd returned to her cabin with the cats from sickbay. The pictures with the information were of an animal that reminded Hoshi of a cross between a grizzly bear and a saber-toothed lion.

Jon returned to his command chair and sat down, a grin slowly spreading across his face. After a moment, he said, "I never thought I'd see the day T'Pol had a pet." He shook his head. "In any case, it's only for a few days. We should rendezvous with the tug..."

As his voice trailed off, Travis at the helm supplied helpfully, "Four days, fourteen hours, sir."

"Thank you, Travis," Jon said. He looked back at Hoshi. "Four and a half days, and then we can turn the _Southern Cross _and the cats over to the tug's crew. How much trouble can one cat cause in three days?"

* * *

Hoshi decided to eat lunch before she went to her cabin to check on Batty. She sat at a table by herself, salad and a slice of fruit on her plate. As she began eating, she became aware that the other diners' attention had shifted to the area near the door. Malcolm had just entered the mess hall, and as he made his way to the serving cabinets, she caught a glimpse of a black-striped gray tail behind him.

Hoshi continued to watch as, having picked out a selection, Malcolm went to the beverage dispenser. Torpedo, who had been sitting patiently on his haunches while Malcolm had scanned the cabinets for something he liked, stood and walked after him. Torpedo looked at the dispenser curiously, his ears perked forward, as the sound of liquid filling a cup could be heard in the now quiet mess hall.

From across the room, Hoshi could see Malcolm's shoulders rise and fall with a sigh as he looked down at his furry companion. She saw his lips move, and made out the words, "Come on, then." A smattering of laughter accompanied their arrival at her table.

"May we join you?" Malcolm asked, sarcasm leaking into his tone as he emphasized "we".

"By all means," Hoshi said.

Malcolm took the seat opposite her. Torpedo slunk under one of the unoccupied chairs, where he lay down.

"He's been following me around the armory all morning," Malcolm said, following her gaze to the cat on the floor. "In a way, he's acting more like a dog than a cat."

"He probably just needs some reassurance," Hoshi postulated. "Give him some time, and before you know it, he'll be off wandering around all by himself."

"I certainly hope so." Malcolm poked at his Salisbury steak before cutting into it. "I've tripped over him at least four times so far this morning. Every time I turn around, he's right behind me. I know it's good security procedure to have someone cover your back, but this is ridiculous." He put a piece of meat dripping with gravy into his mouth. He chewed the morsel, then said around it, "And I have no idea what's going to happen if Chef finds out there's a cat in his mess hall."

Hoshi smiled. "I seriously doubt Chef will be upset, other than by the fact that Torpedo hasn't come to visit him yet."

"That's right. Chef used to ply him with treats, didn't he?" Malcolm shook his head and took another bite of his food.

Hoshi's gaze was drawn to the door, which had opened to admit Trip. Unlike Malcolm, Trip didn't have a feline escort. After the engineer picked out his food and got something to drink, Hoshi waved him over. As he began to sit down, she said, "Not there."

Trip glanced down, grinning when he saw the reclining cat on the floor under the chair in which he had been about to sit. "Sorry. Didn't know this seat was already occupied."

"How's Warp Core doing?" Hoshi asked as Trip moved to the other open chair at the table. Torpedo, she noticed, kept a wary eye on Trip's feet as he moved around the table and sat down.

"Fit as a fiddle, although not as melodious," Trip responded. "He's gotten more talkative since the last time he was here. How such a big cat can make such a high-pitched squeak is beyond me. He sat on the railing on the warp engine control platform most of the morning, talkin' and tellin' me all kinds of stuff." Trip shot her a wry glance. "Too bad I don't know the language."

"At least he's not constantly under your feet," Malcolm muttered.

"Maybe he's stalking you," Trip said with a grin. "He does look kind of like a tiger with those stripes."

As Malcolm rolled his eyes, Hoshi asked Trip, "Where is Warp Core now?"

"Last time I saw him, he was all hunkered down taking a nap on top of the tools in my tool box." He paused to look around the mess hall. "Where's the third one?"

"Back in my cabin," Hoshi said. "I'm going to check on her after I'm finished here."

"She didn't want to get out when the other two left your cabin?" Trip asked.

Hoshi shook her head. "She didn't seem the least interested."

"Probably just as well," Malcolm said. "I hate to think what she might do to Porthos if they happen to run into each other."

Trip laughed, but Hoshi frowned. "I know," she said. "I've been worrying about that. She's not nearly as sociable as the other two cats." She pushed one of her sleeves up to her elbow and held out her arm. Four bright red parallel scratches stood out against her skin on the underside of her forearm.

"Holy cow, Hoshi!" Trip said. "That little cat did that to you?"

"She didn't mean to," Hoshi said, tugging the sleeve down. "I had to put some space between her and the other two. They weren't really fighting. More like hissing and spitting at each other." She paused, a rueful look on her face. "Well, Batty was the only one hissing and spitting. The other two were just looking at her like they didn't know what her problem was. I grabbed Batty to move her away from them, and got clawed in the process."

"Maybe it's a good thing they're only going to be here a few days," Trip said. "It must be that Batty has thrown a wrench into the equation, mixing up the status quo, because from personal experience, I know Warp Core is pretty tame, even if he does look like a miniature lion what with that fur ruff around his neck."

They all had to return to duty after lunch, so conversation trailed off as they ate. Hoshi in particular needed to hurry if she was to stop by her cabin to check on Batty before she had to be back on the bridge. After being late for her duty shift this morning, she didn't want to be late returning from her lunch break. A few minutes later, she pushed back from the table.

She wasn't in such a rush, however, that she didn't notice that Torpedo had apparently decided to now follow her instead of Malcolm. She held the door to the mess hall long enough for him to slip out after her. He trailed her all the way to the turbolift and entered it after she did.

"You're not going to follow me around the rest of the day, are you?" she asked as she pushed the button to close the turbolift door. "I really don't think the captain would like you on the bridge."

Torpedo didn't reply, other than to blink up at her as he braced himself on splayed legs when the turbolift began to move. When the door slid open a few seconds later, the cat bounded out and raced down the corridor. He came to a stop in front of her cabin.

As she joined him, she looked down at him and said, "She's still in there, you know."

He meowed softly, a small, pitiful sound, and pawed at the door.

Hoshi shrugged. If he wanted back in, so be it, although she wasn't sanguine about leaving him and Batty cooped up together the whole afternoon without adult...ah, human...supervision. She opened the door and stepped inside. Batty was curled up, one tiny paw over her nose, asleep in the center of the bunk. Hoshi turned to look at Torpedo, who had remained outside in the corridor. He was craning his neck, looking around the cabin as his nose twitched rapidly. When he finally spotted Batty, he cautiously entered, the door sliding shut behind him, and silently stalked over to the bed. He stood on his hind legs, putting his front paws on the mattress, to look at the other cat.

Batty must be very sound asleep, Hoshi thought, for the sound of the door hadn't woken her. "Let's not disturb her," she said softly.

Torpedo continued his silent scrutiny for a few more moments, his head bobbing back and forth as he tested the air. Then he dropped his front paws to the deck and walked to the door.

Hoshi let him out. She turned to take one last look at Batty. She could see the small chest rising and falling with the small cat's breathing.

By the time Hoshi turned back and stepped out into the corridor, all she saw of Torpedo was a gray-and-black striped tail disappearing around a curve farther down the hall. Hoshi laughed to herself. Either Torpedo was resuming his habit of patrolling and had checked on Batty to make sure she was all right, or he was making sure that she was still locked up and he wouldn't run into her later. Given the small cat's bossy ways, Hoshi wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This actually happened -- I was in the middle of posting this chapter when one of my RL cats came over and tipped over the trash can next to my computer desk. As I leaned over to set it back up, I hit the power cutoff switch for my computer, and my computer shut down. So now you know who I modeled Torpedo after!

CHAPTER 5

_Enterprise _was on its way toward the rendezvous with the space tug which would take over the towing of the _Southern Cross_. There were no unexpected crises, the crew followed a regular routine, and Torpedo and Warp Core, perhaps remembering their earlier stay, quickly adapted to life aboard the ship. Each day, Hoshi would hear reports of the two large cats visiting various parts of the ship, but they always returned to her cabin to spend the night.

Warp Core hung out primarily in engineering, with an occasional sojourn down the E deck corridor to visit Doctor Phlox in sickbay. The Denobulan physician, not faced with any pressing medical cases, began recording the orange cat's vocalizations. He soon announced that he had isolated several different sounds with definite meanings. Hoshi didn't have the heart to tell him that, two centuries earlier, scientists on Earth had done much of the same work, uncovering the fact that the more a person talked to a domestic cat, the more the cat seemed to talk back.

While Warp Core seemed content to limit his wanderings to engineering and sickbay, Torpedo prowled the entire ship, turning up just about everywhere except the bridge. He never stayed in one spot too long but for his afternoon nap in Malcolm's office in the armory. Much to Malcolm's relief, the gray cat seemed to have overcome his insecurities and no longer followed him like a shadow.

Hoshi was pleased that the two larger cats were fitting in, but she was concerned about Batty. The little black cat spent all her time in her cabin, which might have been for the best considering her dislike of interaction with others. But Hoshi was worried that something was wrong with her. For one thing, she seemed to sleep an inordinate amount of the time. Batty also hadn't mellowed as far as sharing her cabin with Torpedo and Warp Core. At least once each night, Hoshi was woken up by a spat between Batty and one or both of the other cats.

As Hoshi ended her shift on the bridge, it struck her that Torpedo and Warp Core's visit hadn't been as enjoyable as she'd anticipated. That was primarily due to Batty, she realized. The small cat had a well-developed sense of her personal space, and woe to anyone -- feline or human -- who invaded it without her consent. Hoshi could sympathize with the feeling, but living and working in the confines of a spaceship made the ability to get along with others a necessity.

It was only for another day, Hoshi consoled herself. As much as she hated to see Torpedo and Warp Core leave, _Enterprise _would be rendezvousing with the tug the next morning. She would turn over all three cats to the tug's crew for the rest of the trip to Earth. She had a data padd with detailed instructions on their care ready to give to the tug's captain so that they'd arrive at Earth in good condition. Perhaps if Batty had been an "only cat" and the other two weren't around, things would have gone more smoothly, Hoshi mused as she headed for the turbolift at the end of her bridge shift. Still, she had been willing to put up with the situation knowing that the cats would soon be gone, with only her sleep schedule disrupted by the petty squabbles at all hours of the night and a few minor scratches from being caught in the middle.

She stepped off the bridge into the turbolift and turned to the control panel. Before she could push the button to close the door, however, she heard T'Pol say, "Hold, please."

She obliged, and as the Vulcan stepped in, Hoshi asked, "Where to?"

T'Pol answered her question with a question. "Are you going to your quarters?"

"Yes. I thought I'd check on Batty before I go to the mess hall for dinner."

"I will accompany you to your cabin," T'Pol said. At Hoshi's surprised expression, she added, "It is my understanding that Batty has resided solely in your quarters and does not leave."

"That's correct," Hoshi said, beginning to get a glimmering of what this was about.

"I would like to see her again before she and the other cats are transferred tomorrow." T'Pol gazed levelly at Hoshi, then turned, her finger poised over the button for B deck. "With your permission, of course."

"Certainly," Hoshi said.

T'Pol pushed the button and the door closed. As the lift began moving, Hoshi realized that, for some inexplicable reason, T'Pol was intrigued by the black cat. Although T'Pol was Vulcan, Hoshi knew Vulcans weren't without feelings; they merely suppressed them. She hoped that she hadn't hurt T'Pol's feelings by not taking her up on her offer to take care of Batty.

"I didn't mean to hide Batty away from everyone," Hoshi blurted out. "It just seemed like she preferred being alone in my cabin."

T'Pol dipped her head in acceptance of the statement. "I can empathize with the need for solitude."

Hoshi smiled slightly, letting the reference pass without comment. When the door opened a moment later, she led the way out of the turbolift. She stopped outside her door to her cabin and turned to T'Pol. "Batty really doesn't like being disturbed, you know. If she's sleeping..."

"I will do my best not to disturb her," T'Pol said.

Hoshi opened the door and stepped inside. Batty was where Hoshi had left her, curled up asleep on the bunk. Either the sound of the door opening or the disturbance in the air currents woke the little cat, for she opened her mouth in a wide yawn. She blinked several times, then focused her green eyes on T'Pol, who had followed Hoshi into the cabin and was standing near the door.

"It seems we don't have to worry about waking her," Hoshi said. She sat down on the bunk next to the cat. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Batty responded by rising to her feet and arching her back in a stretch. She brushed against Hoshi's arm, then turned toward T'Pol.

Hoshi said, "I think she wants you to pet--"

_"Bridge to Ensign Sato."_

Hoshi recognized the voice over the intercom as that of Ensign Kilpatrick, the officer who had taken over for her at the end of her shift. The other com officers usually didn't contact her during their shifts unless there was a problem. Hoping there wasn't something seriously wrong at the communications station, Hoshi got to her feet and went to her desk to answer the page. "Sato here."

"_Captain Archer wanted me to inform you that we'll be rendezvousing earlier than expected with the tug," _came Kilpatrick's voice. _"He wants you to have the cats ready to be transferred within the hour."_

"The hour!" Hoshi repeated, already trying to figure out how she was going to find Warp Core and Torpedo, neither of whom had yet returned from their daily wanderings, and get them and Batty ready to leave in the allotted time. To her dismay, she was also experiencing a pang of disappointment. She'd expected to have a little more time with the cats before they had to leave.

_"That's right," _Kilpatrick affirmed. _"We received a transmission from the tug. They've made better time than they expected."_

"Thanks for letting me know," Hoshi said and cut the connection. She hurried over to her closet and opened the door. "I've got to find the other cats right away," she said as she tossed clothing aside, grabbed the cat carrier from where she'd stored it on the floor of the closet, and turned back to face T'Pol.

"Might I suggest you contact engineering and the armory," T'Pol said. "Warp Core and Torpedo seem to favor those two locations."

"Good idea," Hoshi said, putting down the carrier and heading back to the com panel on her desk. She halted halfway there. "But what about Batty? I can't put all three of them in the carrier, and I can't manage the carrier with the two big cats inside and carry Batty at the same time."

"I will assist you." T'Pol stepped over to the bunk where Batty had been sitting as Hoshi had bustled about the cabin. To Hoshi's astonishment, T'Pol reached out and, in one smooth motion, scooped up Batty by placing one hand under the cat's belly and her other hand under the cat's hindquarters. Even more astounding was that Batty didn't seem the least bit put out. As T'Pol brought the cat up to her chest, Batty stretched to rub her cheek against T'Pol's chin and made a few chirruping noises, then settled down, apparently content with her new location.

The novelty of T'Pol, one of the most reserved people she'd ever met, being accepted by Batty, one of the most standoffish cats she had ever encountered, left Hoshi speechless. Humans often referred to themselves as cat people or dog people when describing their preference in pets. Maybe Vulcans as a whole were a cat-preferring species, Hoshi thought. That might partially account for T'Pol's aversion to Porthos. Besides the dog's smell, that is.

Hoshi shook her head to clear it. As fascinating as that train of thought was, she didn't have time to dwell on it now. "I don't think we'll be docking with the tug, since we'll have to turn over the towing of the _Southern Cross_ to it. We'll probably have to take the cats over in a shuttlepod."

"I will meet you in the launch bay," T'Pol said, moving toward the door with Batty cradled in her grasp.

After T'Pol left, Hoshi contacted engineering. Warp Core was indeed there. Trip offered to bring the orange cat to the launch bay. That left Hoshi free to track down Torpedo.

That, however, turned out to be easier said than done. She contacted the armory, Torpedo's usual late afternoon haunt, but the gray cat wasn't there. Malcolm told her that Torpedo hadn't shown up for his customary nap. Quick calls to the mess hall and sickbay also confirmed that he wasn't in either of those two locations.

The captain wasn't going to like it if the tow transfer was delayed because she couldn't round up Torpedo. She could ask the captain if she could make a shipwide announcement to ask the crew to look for the cat, but that would be embarrassing. She'd just have to find Torpedo herself, she decided. She snatched up the data padd with the information about the cats that she'd prepared for the tug's crew, grabbed the cat carrier, and headed for the door. She'd just pressed the button to open the door when the com panel beeped. Reversing course, she returned to her desk and keyed open the channel. "Sato."

_"Hoshi,"_ said Travis's voice. _"You've heard that the rendezvous with the tug has been moved up?"_

"Yes," she responded shortly. "Batty and Warp Core are on their way to the launch bay for the transfer. I'm about to look for Torpedo. He's not in any of the usual places."

_"That's what I wanted to tell you. I'm in the launch bay -- I'm piloting the shuttlepod over to the tug -- and guess who was waiting outside in the corridor when I got here?"_

Realizing she wasn't going to have to search all over the ship while toting the unwieldy cat carrier, Hoshi let out a relieved sigh. "Torpedo?"

_"He's in the shuttlepod right now. He jumped right in when I opened the hatch."_

"That's great, Travis. Keep him there until I get there."

_"No problem," _he responded. _"He's sitting in the chair at the helm, checking out the controls. I think he wants to pilot."_

* * *

T'Pol and Trip were waiting for Hoshi when she walked into the launch bay. Judging by the almost identical expressions of disdain on the faces of the Vulcan and the small black cat, as well as the grin on Trip's, the engineer must have been teasing T'Pol about her feline companion before Hoshi had arrived. Trip really didn't have any grounds for teasing, she thought. While T'Pol was holding Batty in a relaxed yet secure manner, Trip was cradling Warp Core like a baby in the crook of his arm, rubbing the cat's stomach. Perhaps like Hoshi herself, Trip was so amazed to see T'Pol interact on such a level with another creature that he couldn't help his own reaction.

"Thanks for bringing them here," Hoshi said breathlessly. Her rush to the launch bay while carrying the bulky cat carrier had winded her. She placed the carrier on the deck and opened its door.

"You're welcome," Trip said, flipping Warp Core right side up and placing him on his paws on the deck. The cat immediately sauntered over to the carrier and stepped in.

"It was my pleasure," T'Pol added.

Turning his face away from the Vulcan, Trip said sotto voice to Hoshi, "If I would have known a cat would have made her loosen up, I would have found one for her a long time ago."

Despite Trip's low voice, Hoshi knew T'Pol had probably heard the comment. She didn't want to laugh at T'Pol's expense, especially since the science officer had helped her by bringing Batty to the launch bay. But as she leaned down to close the carrier's door, she shot a glance at T'Pol from the corner of her eye. The Vulcan had overheard Trip's comment, for she had raised an eyebrow and had taken a step toward the engineer.

"Perhaps it is merely my long acquaintance with this human crew that has resulted in my becoming 'looser," T'Pol said, emphasizing the last word in such a way that indicated she knew it had several meanings, and that she knew which one Trip was using. "I will meditate longer than usual this evening to alleviate that shortcoming."

At least Trip had the grace to blush, Hoshi thought as she picked up the carrier, now even more cumbersome with Warp Core's weight, and entered the shuttlepod. She placed the carrier on one of the bench seats at the back, then made her way forward to gather up Torpedo. She laughed when she saw him. Travis had been right: It certainly did look like Torpedo wanted to fly the shuttlepod. The gray cat with black stripes was sitting on Travis's lap, one paw on the helmsman's hand as he went through the preflight checklist.

Travis smiled over his shoulder at her as she came forward. "Much as I appreciate Torpedo's help, it would be better if he made this trip as a passenger."

"Come on, Torpedo," Hoshi said as she reached for him. "Travis has done this plenty of times before and doesn't need your help."

The cat didn't want to be removed from Travis's lap. He let out a plaintive meow when Hoshi picked him up. She was worried she might have a fight on her hands as he began to squirm against her hold. She turned toward the back of the shuttlepod, the wiggling cat clasped tightly against her, when T'Pol stepped in. Torpedo saw Batty in the Vulcan's arms and stopped struggling. When Hoshi put him on the deck in front of the carrier, he stepped inside as soon as she opened the door.

T'Pol impassively watched the proceedings. With what Hoshi thought was reluctance, the Vulcan passed Batty to her.

"You're not going with us?" Hoshi asked her.

"No. I will be needed on the bridge when we transfer control of the _Southern Cross _to the tug." T'Pol spared a moment for one last look at the cat now nestled in Hoshi's arms. Then she turned and left the shuttlepod, closing the hatch behind her.

Hoshi, with Batty still in her arms, sat down next to the cat carrier. Two sets of green eyes peered out from behind the carrier's cage door. She'd formed an attachment to Warp Core and Torpedo the last time they'd been on board and, although they had been here only a few days this time, she was going to miss them.

Travis finished the preflight check list. "We're ready to go."

"Let's get this over with," Hoshi said past the lump in her throat.

Travis gave her an understanding look. He informed the bridge that they were ready to depart.

Hoshi leaned back and held Batty a bit tighter as Travis engaged the engine. In response, Batty began to purr and bumped her head against Hoshi's hand, demanding petting. Despite the hassle the small cat had been, Hoshi realized that she was going to miss her, too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note:** There seems to be some concern that the cats are leaving. What? You think I'd let Hoshi get rid of them that easily?

CHAPTER 6

Hoshi stared at the tug captain standing on the other side of the airlock. She wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "What do you mean you can't take them?" she asked.

The tug captain pulled down on the hem of his short jacket to straighten it. "I mean I can't take them. When I was told you had some things that had to be put on my tug, I thought you meant something like data modules, or equipment, or personal items -- things that, because systems are down on that freighter I'm supposed to tow, had to be on my ship for the trip back to Earth. But cats? No way!"

Hoshi frowned, not sure what to do. The tug captain hadn't even wanted her to step out of the shuttlepod into the airlock. When Travis had opened the shuttlepod hatch, the tug captain been waiting on the other side. He'd taken one look at Batty in her arms and had screamed. Well, not screamed exactly, but he'd made a noise that had hurt her ears. And Batty's, too. The small cat had shrunk against her and had flattened her ears.

"They belong to a little girl whose family lives on the _Southern Cross_," Hoshi explained, trying to reason with the man. "She really misses them."

The tug captain shook his head so vigorously that Hoshi thought he'd give himself whiplash. "Sorry. No can do."

Shifting her grip on Batty, Hoshi managed to open the zipped pocket on her uniform holding the data padd with the instructions she'd prepared. She pulled out the padd. "If you're worried about taking care of them, everything you need to know is on here. And I brought along enough of the food they eat for the trip back to Earth."

"No can do," he repeated. "You'll have to keep them."

Travis, standing behind Hoshi and holding the cat carrier containing Torpedo and Warp Core, asked the obvious question. "Is there a reason you can't take them?"

"I'm allergic."

In this day and age, that was no excuse. Hoshi was sure Doctor Phlox would have something that could alleviate the man's symptoms. "There are medications--" she began.

"I'm allergic to them, too," the tug captain cut her off in a monotone.

Hoshi was coming to the conclusion that the cats were going to be with her for some time yet. Much as she might like that, there was someone else who was missing them very much. Hannah had entrusted her to take good care of the cats, and that included getting them back to her. Hoshi was determined not to give up easily. "Couldn't you just keep them away from you? Put them in a compartment by themselves?" she asked.

"Look, lady," the captain said, "in case you haven't noticed, my ship is a tug. There's very little living space, or cargo space for that matter. All it does is pull things from one place to another."

Travis leaned forward and said to her, "He's right, you know. His ship is mostly engine. There's not much room for anything else."

"Right," the tug captain agreed. "Even if I put those creatures as far away from me as possible, which isn't far in a ship like mine, the ventilation system will circulate their dander everywhere. There's no way I can get away from it." Looking away, he muttered, "No cats is one of the reasons I like my job so much." He looked back at her. "And don't even think about installing special filters in the ventilation system. That would take too long. Time is money in my profession, and I can't afford to waste it."

"But--"

"Unless you have anything else to transfer," the captain said, "I'll be on my way as soon as the tow is switched over."

Hoshi's mind raced as she stared at him. _Enterprise _wasn't scheduled to return to Earth any time soon, and the chance of running into the _Southern Cross _after it was repaired and making cargo runs again was less than slim. There was no way she could return the cats to Hannah in the immediate future if this stubborn person wasn't going to cooperate.

The tug captain was staring back at her, waiting for an answer. Unable to come up with a way to get him to take the cats, she finally shook her head. With a barely repressed shudder as he glanced at Batty in her arms, the tug captain slammed shut the hatch on his side of the airlock.

The loud noise upset the occupants of the carrier. Travis had to hold on tightly to keep from dropping it as it wobbled with the movement of the two agitated cats inside. Torpedo growled. Warp Core meowed pitifully. Batty, her rear claws digging into Hoshi's arm, hissed in their direction.

"Oh, dear," Hoshi murmured. She'd been regretting sending the cats off, knowing she'd miss them, but she had resigned herself to the situation. In a way, it would have been a relief to put them on the tug, for she'd finally be able to get a decent night's sleep with no feline combat in the wee hours of the morning.

It looked like she was going to have to take T'Pol up on her offer to house Batty, at least until they figured out a way to get the cats back to their rightful owner.

* * *

Aided by Travis, Hoshi took the cats back to her cabin. Then, with some trepidation, she boarded the turbolift to go to the bridge. Even though her duty shift had ended earlier, she was going to report to the captain about the status of the cats. It wasn't something she thought she should put off until morning.

She deliberately hadn't contacted _Enterprise _on the way back from the tug. She knew the bridge crew would be busy with the tow transfer; they didn't need to be distracted by her failure to get rid of the cats. But as much as that rationale made sense, she knew the real reason she hadn't reported in while in transit was that she was putting off telling the captain that the three cats were going to be with them for a while longer. Jon hadn't seemed to mind having them on board, but that might have been because he'd thought they'd be leaving with the tug. The first time Torpedo and Warp Core had been on board, she remembered, it had taken a long time for him to get used to the idea. Jon was definitely a dog person.

Hoshi didn't kid herself. What it all really came down to were her own ambivalent feelings. She loved Torpedo and Warp Core, and even finicky Batty had begun to worm her way into her heart. Hoshi had had a pair of cats when she'd been growing up, and when Batty curled up next to her in bed at night, it reminded her of how Sushi and Saki used to do the same thing.

But she was tired of playing referee for cat spats in the middle of the night, not to mention just plain tired. A girl needed her sleep, and she hadn't been getting enough of it lately. She had gladly been responsible for Torpedo and Warp Core the first time they'd been on board, but three cats, all living in her cabin, was a different matter, especially when one of them was such a prima donna.

She resolutely stepped out of the turbolift when the door opened. Jon was in his chair in the center of the bridge. He looked up as she halted at the rail surrounding the command well.

"Did you get the cats all squared away?" he asked.

Clasping her hands in front of her, she hedged, "Sort of."

"Was there a problem?" he asked.

From the tactical station, Malcolm interrupted, "Tow transfer of the _Southern Cross _to the tug is complete, sir."

"Very good, Malcolm," Jon said over his shoulder. He shifted his gaze to the main viewscreen where the tug, connected to the _Southern Cross _by six tow lines, could be seen. The tug's exhaust ports began to glow yellowish-red as its engine engaged. Jon glanced at the officer manning the communications console. "Send my compliments to the tug's captain, and wish them a safe journey."

As the officer acknowledged the order, Jon turned his attention back to Hoshi. He lifted his eyebrows in silent inquiry.

Hoshi cast a long look at the viewscreen. Having met the tug captain, she seriously doubted he would turn back to take the cats, even if Jon threatened him with _Enterprise'_s phase cannons and a couple of torpedoes to boot. The situation was out of her hands. All she could do was weather whatever Jon's reaction might be. She took a deep breath and said, "About the cats, sir. They're still here."

Jon didn't react, other than to frown. She didn't think it was because he was displeased, but rather because he didn't understand.

"The tug captain is allergic to cats," she explained. "He wouldn't take them on board."

Jon mulled that over, then shrugged. "I don't see a problem. Do you?"

"No, sir," she said, thrown off by his mild response.

"Well, we'll just have to take care of them until we come across a ship headed to Earth or we're back at Earth ourselves."

So apparently Jon didn't mind having the cats around after all, although his use of the word "we" struck Hoshi as odd. He wasn't going to be the one actually taking care of them. Then she saw that he was smiling as he looked toward the science station, and she suddenly understood. He'd remembered that she'd told him T'Pol had offered to take care of Batty. She also remembered he had seemed amused by the idea. A Vulcan with a pet? The very thought was enough to make almost any human smile. He was probably looking forward to seeing how T'Pol interacted with a human pet.

"Yes, sir," she agreed, feeling a smile of her own start to form. She turned to T'Pol, who had been at the science console during the tow transfer. "Subcommander? Are you still willing to take care of Batty?"

T'Pol gazed steadily at her without saying anything. Hoshi began to feel nervous. If T'Pol had changed her mind, she'd be stuck with all three cats in her cabin each night for an undetermined amount of time. Much as she loved animals, she didn't know if she could handle that again. As she waited for T'Pol's answer, she began mentally running through the crew roster. There were a number of people who might--

"Yes," T'Pol said at last. "You know my preference."

Hoshi let out an audible sigh of relief, then caught herself. A quick glance at the captain revealed that he was now smiling broadly at her. She hadn't fooled him. He'd known she was dreading having all three cats back in her cabin. Trip or maybe Malcolm must have said something to him after seeing the scratches on her arm. But then again, Jon's perceptiveness could be surprising at times. Did he really know her that well?

That was something to ponder at another time. Right now, the important thing was that Batty would be going to live in T'Pol's quarters. And that meant Hoshi would have her cabin to herself with Torpedo and Warp Core. She was looking forward to the first decent night of sleep she'd had in a week. Trying not to appear too eager, Hoshi said to T'Pol, "You'll need something for a litter box, and bowls for food and water."

"There is no need," T'Pol said. "I obtained those items earlier in anticipation of taking over the care of one of the cats."

This was turning out better than Hoshi had anticipated. It looked like she might be able to move Batty to T'Pol's cabin right away.

"Go on," Jon told T'Pol. "I think we can manage the bridge without you now that the tow transfer is complete."

T'Pol rose gracefully from her chair and walked over to join Hoshi, who was already at the turbolift door. It was with a considerably brighter outlook that Hoshi left the bridge than when she entered it.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you to those who are leaving reviews. It is very much appreciated.

CHAPTER 7

Hoshi was in a remarkably good mood the next morning. Lulled the previous night by Warp Core and Torpedo's purring from where they'd curled up nearby on her bed, she had drifted off into a sound sleep. She'd slept for eight hours straight, not once being woken by hissing or spitting or furry bodies bounding across her bunk. She found herself humming as she got ready to leave her cabin. This was more like it, she thought, seeing the two cats sitting next to the door. They were waiting for her to let them out. It was just like when they'd been here before, and she'd enjoyed their visit so much. She'd wake in the morning, feed them, take a shower and dress, and then they'd all head out for the day.

As she put her hand on the button to open her door, she paused. She wondered how T'Pol had gotten along with Batty. It didn't seem quite right that she'd allowed T'Pol to take care of the most cantankerous member of the feline trio. As far as Hoshi knew, T'Pol didn't have any experience with Earth cats, other than the limited interaction she'd had previously with Torpedo and Warp Core, two of the most docile cats Hoshi had ever encountered. Batty, on the other hand, could be a tiny terror.

She was probably worrying about nothing. If there had been a problem, T'Pol would have contacted her.

A meow from near her feet made her look down. Both Torpedo and Warp Core were looking up at her expectantly, as if wondering what the delay was. She smiled. "All right, you guys." She pushed the button and the door opened. "Have a good day!" she called after them as they trotted off down the corridor.

Hoshi was still smiling as she walked into the mess hall. After picking out her breakfast from the serving cabinet, she joined Trip and Malcolm at a table by one of the large windows.

"You look pretty chipper this morning," Trip greeted her.

Her smile grew even bigger. "That's because, for the first time in a week, I had a decent night's sleep."

"I can't believe that little cat is now living in T'Pol's quarters," Trip said.

As far as Hoshi knew, only she, T'Pol, and those crew members who had been on the bridge last night -- Trip hadn't been one of them -- knew about Batty's transfer to new quarters. "How did you know about that?" Hoshi asked him.

"Malcolm told me the captain practically shooed T'Pol off the bridge last night so that she could get that cat from you."

Hoshi had to laugh as she recalled the incident. What Trip had said was true. The captain had seemed very eager for T'Pol to take up her duties as a cat sitter.

"So there was no cat combat in your quarters last night, I take it?" Malcolm asked.

"None," Hoshi told him. "And if T'Pol didn't have any trouble with Batty last night, it should stay that way." She sighed contentedly before taking a bite of toast.

Trip picked up his cup, rotating it slightly so that the coffee in it swirled around. "You expecting there might have been some problems?"

Hoshi, her mouth full of toast, shrugged and lifted her eyebrows. She really didn't know, but she was hoping for the best, if only that it meant Batty wouldn't be coming back to her quarters any time soon.

"What I wouldn't have given to have been in T'Pol's quarters last night," Malcolm said.

Hoshi stared at Malcolm with wide eyes, and Trip, who had taken a sip of his coffee, almost snorted it back out his nose.

Malcolm blushed and said hurriedly in a low tone, "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I just wonder how T'Pol got along with that little black devil. I'll be surprised if she's not covered in scratches after one night with that creature."

"Malcolm!" Hoshi chided him. "Batty is not a 'black devil.' You're just mad because Batty doesn't like you."

"You've still got your security cat, Malcolm," Trip pointed out, referring to Torpedo. "He's probably off makin' his rounds already."

Hoshi put in, "And Warp Core is probably already in engineering. I think they're getting back to their old routines."

When the mess hall door opened a moment later, Hoshi looked up to see T'Pol walk in. She watched as the Vulcan obtained a cup of something from the beverage dispenser, then approached their table. Recalling Malcolm's comment a few minutes earlier, Hoshi was relieved to see that T'Pol bore no visible signs of any catly confrontations.

Addressing Hoshi, T'Pol said, "Ensign, I wish to inform you that Batty's first night in my cabin passed without incident."

A muffled snicker came from Trip.

Ignoring the engineer, Hoshi replied, "That's good to hear, Commander. Not that I expected anything to happen."

A snort came from Malcolm.

Ignoring the tactical officer as well, Hoshi kept a polite expression on her face. "How's Batty doing?"

"She ate the food I put out for her this morning, spent a considerable amount of time grooming, and now is asleep. On my bunk." T'Pol shifted her weight, her brows knitting. "I had arranged a 'bed' -- a box with a pillow in it, much like what Captain Archer has for his dog -- but she seems to prefer sleeping on a human-style bed." After a pause, as if she was trying to decide whether to offer more information, she added, "With me."

That was too much for Trip and Malcolm, who both laughed out loud. At T'Pol's reproachful look, they quickly quieted. Their smiles, however, remained.

"Well, cats are like that, T'Pol," Trip told her. "They do pretty much whatever they please."

"So I am discovering," T'Pol conceded with as much exasperation as a Vulcan would show. "However, in doing research, I have found that cats can, to a certain extent, be trained."

"Really?" Trip asked, shooting an amused glance at Malcolm. He looked back at T'Pol and gestured toward the open chair at the table. "Sit down and tell us about it."

"I must decline," she said. "I am supposed to have breakfast with the captain."

With a dip of her head in parting, she walked away. The three officers watched as she entered the captain's private mess.

"What I wouldn't give to hear the conversation in there this morning," Malcolm said.

* * *

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Hoshi put in four hours on the bridge at the communications console, took a lunch break, and put in four more. There hadn't been too much for her to do as far as transmission traffic, which was good, because she had used most of her time doing research related to their new mission. _Enterprise_ had received orders to attend the inauguration of the new planetary governor of Rigel IV.

Hoshi mused that it was too bad that they hadn't been ordered to return home to pick up some Earth representatives for the event. If they had, she could have returned the cats to Hannah. But the ceremony was scheduled to take place in five days, and there wasn't enough time for _Enterprise _to travel all the way to Earth, pick up some dignitaries, and make it to Rigel IV for the ceremony. Captain Archer was going to be the senior Earth representative in attendance.

Jon had asked her to brief him on Rigelian protocol; hence, the research. She would wait until the day before they arrived to brief him, so that not only would the information would be fresh in his mind for the inauguration, but he wouldn't have time to prevaricate about practicing. It wouldn't do to have him stumble over the wording of the traditional Rigelian greeting expected from foreign dignitaries. She considered and then discarded the idea of suggesting he wear an audio transceiver so that she could, if necessary, prompt him during the ceremony. For one thing, she didn't think Jon would like it. For another, it would give the appearance that humans didn't think highly enough of Rigelians to learn the traditional greeting. That would not be a good way to start off a diplomatic event.

At the end of her shift, she noted that T'Pol was still absent from the bridge. The Vulcan had been there all morning, but hadn't returned after lunch. Another crew member had been manning the science post since then. Hoshi knew it wasn't unusual for T'Pol to be somewhere else on the ship pursuing other projects. She was a little disappointed, though. She had been hoping to find out in more detail how Batty was settling in with T'Pol.

As Hoshi left the bridge, she decided she'd stop by T'Pol's quarters on the chance the Vulcan was there. She wasn't so friendly with T'Pol as to warrant dropping by for an unannounced social visit, but she felt a certain responsibility as far as the cats were concerned. For her own peace of mind, she needed to make sure Batty was all right. Besides, Malcolm wasn't the only one who was curious about their resident Vulcan and her new pet. She wanted to see for herself how T'Pol was getting along with Batty.

Hoshi rang the chime outside T'Pol's cabin and heard a response, muffled by the closed door, to enter. She opened the door and stepped in, stopping just across the threshold for two reasons. The first was to close the door on the chance that Batty might take a notion to slip out. The second was that there was no light in the cabin except for that of flames from several candles. T'Pol, seated cross-legged on the floor in front of the candles, had been meditating.

"I'm sorry," Hoshi said, squinting in the low light. She didn't see Batty anywhere. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"That's all right, Ensign," T'Pol said. "If you wouldn't mind...?"

Hoshi caught the gesture T'Pol made toward the panel by the door. "Oh! Sure." Hoshi thumbed the button to bring up the cabin's interior lighting. She turned back and was startled to see that T'Pol had risen to her feet. Vulcans and cats had something in common, she realized. Both could move with a silent grace that was almost eerie.

Even more surprising, however, was the location of Batty. It hadn't been until Hoshi had turned on the lights that she'd realized the cat, her black coat blending with the darkness, was perched on T'Pol's shoulder. Hoshi looked from Batty to T'Pol's face, and then back again. Batty seemed perfectly at ease. T'Pol looked... Hoshi wasn't sure what expression was on TPol's face. Embarrassed that she had been caught indulging a lesser species? No, that wasn't it.

"She climbed on my shoulder while I was meditating," T'Pol said as Hoshi continued to stare. "As her weight is almost negligible, it did not hinder my concentration."

Hoshi couldn't think of anything to say, but she decided T'Pol's expression was defensive, as if she'd felt a need to justify that she'd been caught with a cat on her shoulder. A human, especially one who liked animals, wouldn't have been the least bothered by it, but Vulcans with their suppression of emotion were another matter. On the bright side, Hoshi thought, it seemed like T'Pol and Batty weren't having any problems.

As the silence continued to stretch, T'Pol said, "In fact, her presence may have aided my meditation."

"I...ah...suppose it was a good exercise in blocking out distractions," Hoshi offered.

"I was meditating on how best to train her."

T'Pol tilted forward slightly. Batty jumped off T'Pol's shoulder to land lightly on her feet on the desk.

Hoshi walked to the desk as T'Pol extinguished the candles. After Batty sniffed her hand, Hoshi rubbed the cat behind the ears. She detected the soft chirruping purr that meant the cat was happy. Her back to T'Pol as she petted Batty, she said, "If you didn't have any trouble with her, then I guess she'll be staying with you."

"Yes," T'Pol said succinctly.

Hoshi turned at the sound of fingers snapping. T'Pol snapping her fingers? But even more astounding was that Batty immediately jumped off the desk, ran a few steps, and leaped from the floor into T'Pol's arms. The cat's purring, which had been barely detectable before, became loud enough to fill the room.

Hoshi stared in astonishment. She'd never seen a cat behave like that. And for a Vulcan? It boggled her mind.

"We have already begun training," T'Pol said.

It was only when Hoshi saw Batty lick her lips repeatedly that Hoshi realized T'Pol had given the cat a treat as a reward for that trick.

Not getting any response from the linguist, T'Pol looked at her steadily, as if about to impart something of great importance. "It is best not to overtrain with cats," the Vulcan said. "They tend to have a limited attention span. We worked on this particular exercise this afternoon."

So T'Pol hadn't taken the afternoon off from the bridge for ship-related duties, but to train Batty, Hoshi realized. The absurdity of a Vulcan training a human pet -- and of a species that wasn't particularly easy to train -- was almost overridden by the fact that it seemed to be working. "Ah, you know, cats don't always do what you want them to do," Hoshi cautioned.

"Commander Tucker said much the same thing this morning," T'Pol said. She paused. "The same could be said of humans."

Hoshi couldn't believe she'd just heard T'Pol make what sounded like a joke. Maybe Trip had been right -- the cat was a good influence on T'Pol. Before she could think of a suitable comment of her own, T'Pol walked over to her neatly made bed where she deposited Batty on the bedspread. The cat immediately stuck a back leg up in the air and began grooming.

T'Pol turned to face Hoshi. "I believe that, with persistence, we shall succeed in this endeavor."

"I don't doubt you will," Hoshi murmured.

As Hoshi left, she wondered what else T'Pol planned to train Batty to do.

A/N: Still more to come!


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

The armory had been quiet all day. That suited Malcolm perfectly. He had his staff checking to make sure everything was in readiness for _Enterprise'_s visit to Rigel IV in a few days. Not that he expected trouble. Well, he did, actually. Expecting trouble was part of his job. And although his tenure as a Boy Scout was long past, he still adhered to that worthy organization's motto of being prepared. It had always served him well.

The members of his armory staff, at his orders, were obligated to follow that credo as well. Foster was double-checking the torpedo calibrations, while Welsh was triple-checking all the firing relays. That left him free to review the dossier on Rigelian inauguration protocols that Hoshi had prepared. In addition to Captain Archer and Subcommander T'Pol, he and two of his security staff would be attending the ceremony, ostensibly as an honor guard. They'd be "all fancied up," as Trip might say of their dress uniforms, but that was no reason to slack off. He wanted to be as familiar as possible with what was supposed to happen -- in case something else did.

He had just called up the schematics of the building where the ceremony would take place when he caught movement from the corner of his eye. A gray tail with black stripes had passed by his open office doorway. A glance at the clock on his computer showed that Torpedo was right on time. Malcolm smiled to himself as he went back to studying the building layout. His "security cat," now that he had settled in, kept to a regular schedule. Every day at fifteen hundred hours, give or take a few minutes, Torpedo would slink into his office, rub against his legs if he was there, then leap onto the visitor's chair where he would curl up for his nap.

Malcolm became curious, however, as the minutes ticked by and Torpedo didn't put in his usual appearance in his office. He went to look out the door at the armory proper. He spotted Torpedo sitting on the rail at the raised fire control platform, looking for all the world like he was supervising Foster who was working at the console there. From reports that had gotten back to him, Malcolm knew the striped cat had a tendency to show up where something out of the ordinary was happening, but to think that Torpedo knew they were headed to a new assignment was farfetched, to say the least.

"Torpedo!" Malcolm called.

The cat turned his green-eyed gaze on him, but stayed where he was.

Malcolm knew that when a cat deviated from an established routine, it could be a sign it was sick. He walked over to the platform for a closer look. Torpedo had become such a fixture in the department that his men were beginning to consider him their mascot, so Malcolm wasn't too embarrassed about talking to him in front of Foster. "Aren't you late for your nap?" he asked the cat.

Torpedo made no reply, but stretched out his neck when Malcolm reached up to scratch his head. The platform not being very high, Malcolm didn't have far to reach.

Foster, who'd been watching over his shoulder from his spot at the console, turned to face them. "He's been like this all day, sir. Welsh told me that Torpedo actually showed up in the crawlway where he was checking the fire control relays on D deck. It's almost like he knows we're getting ready for something."

Although he'd been thinking much the same thing, Malcolm wasn't going to admit it to a member of his staff. "It could be he's just picking up on our heightened sense of purpose," he said, shifting his scratching to behind one of Torpedo's ears. Torpedo obligingly tilted his head. "In all likelihood, it's just coincidence." He asked Foster pointedly, "How are the calibrations coming along?"

"I should be done in about fifteen minutes, sir," Foster said and turned back to the console.

"Carry on, then," Malcolm said, hiding a smile until Foster's attention was back where it was supposed to be.

Malcolm returned to his office, but the cat stayed where he was. Torpedo, it seemed to Malcolm, was standing watch, but for what, he didn't know.

* * *

Trip looked down toward his feet. "What is your problem?" he asked in exasperation.

The object of his irritated question answered with a high-pitched squeak, his green eyes staring directly up into the blue eyes of the chief engineer.

"You've been -- pardon the expression -- doggin' me all day," Trip said to Warp Core. "Every time I turn around, there you are."

Warp Core had come perilously close to being stepped on for the tenth time by Trip, who had been striding from one station to the next in engineering as his staff ran routine diagnostics on the warp engine. The cat normally found a place out of the way where he could keep an eye on what was going on, but for some unknown reason, Warp Core was constantly underfoot today. Trip recalled Malcolm's earlier frustration with Torpedo when he'd done the same thing to the tactical officer. But Torpedo had eventually settled down once he'd become familiar with his surroundings. And of the two big cats, Warp Core was definitely more laid back. He shouldn't be acting like this. Trip wracked his brain, trying to think of anything that might have upset the big orange cat, but came up with nothing.

He sighed and bent down to grasp Warp Core around the middle. With a grunt, he hoisted the cat up, carried him over to a work table, and set him down next to his tool box. "This is one of your favorite places. Why don't you stay here for a while?"

"Me-_oooow!_" Warp Core said.

Trip wasn't sure, but he thought the cat sounded indignant. "Look, you can't keep gettin' in the way. I've got work to do." Trip ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe I'm tryin' to reason with a cat."

"Nor can I," came a cool voice.

Trip groaned. He hadn't heard T'Pol come up behind him. He could imagine what she would have to say about him talking to a cat when there was work to be done.

The engineer turned around to see her standing an arm's length away. Any snide comment he might have made in reply, however, was forgotten as he saw her companion. It was the black cat, Batty, the bully of B deck, if Hoshi was to be believed. But the surprising thing about T'Pol having the cat with her, even though Trip knew she'd taken over its care, was that the cat was wearing a red harness, which was attached to a red leash, the other end of which T'Pol was holding. T'Pol was standing in a posture that approximated parade rest, while Batty was in the feline equivalent, seated on her haunches on the deck, her two front paws lined up next to each other, her tail straight out on the deck behind her, her ears and whiskers arched forward. He could swear they even wore identical expressions of disapproval.

"What the--?" Trip began. He cleared his throat and tried again. "A harness and a leash? On a cat?"

"As you can see, cats can be trained." She eyed Warp Core, who had flopped down on his side on the tabletop, his head twisted around so that he was looking at them upside down. "Some cats," she amended.

Trip's eyes narrowed. T'Pol was baiting him about cats, of all things. In typical Vulcan fashion, she had the gall to imply that her cat was better, or maybe smarter, than his. Then he shook his head. What was he thinking? Warp Core and Batty weren't their cats. They were just taking care of them until Hoshi could get them back to their real owner.

"Was there a reason you and--" He gestured at Batty. "--Her Highness deigned to visit engineering?"

T'Pol extended her free hand, in which was a data padd. "A copy of Rigelian orbital protocol."

"What's this for?" he asked as he took the padd.

T'Pol shifted on her feet, a mannerism that Trip knew denoted impatience on her part, although she'd never admit to giving an outward sign of such an emotion. "You will be in command of _Enterprise _while the inauguration ceremony is taking place. Not only must Ensign Mayweather, as pilot, be aware of the regulations the Rigelians insist upon, but you must as well, so that you do not order any course corrections which will upset or alarm our hosts. They are very particular about orbital procedure. The regulations are somewhat complicated."

Trip turned on the data padd. He skimmed the first few regulations as they scrolled across the screen. "I can't believe this," he muttered. Then more loudly, "Orbit parameters will be determined by the size of the ship seeking to orbit Rigel IV, the number of other ships already in orbit, the priority of those ships' visits to Rigel IV, and the phases of Rigel IV's three moons from the perspective of the capital city?" He looked at T'Pol in disbelief. "Is this for real?"

"Very," she said dryly. "I have input a program in the ship's navigational computer to take into account all those variables, plus others that you neglected to mention."

"There's more?"

"Yes."

Trip let out his breath in a gust and tossed the padd onto the work table, making Warp Core bolt upright. The cat extended his whiskers forward, sniffed the device, then began to poke at it with one of his oversize paws.

"I'll be sure to go over it the first chance I get," Trip said to T'Pol. "As you can see, though, I'm a little busy right now, trying to make sure the ship's in top condition for our visit to Rigel IV. But if you've put all that data in the computer, I'm sure we'll do just fine."

T'Pol, either unaware of the sarcasm with which Trip had spoken or ignoring it as was her usual custom, nodded and turned to leave. A slight tug on the leash, and Batty was walking by her side.

They had just exited engineering when there was a dull thud on deck by Trip's feet. He turned to the work table to see Warp Core looking down over the edge of the table to where he had pushed the padd onto the floor.

"I feel exactly the same way," Trip told him.

* * *

Late that evening, T'Pol was meditating in her quarters. Batty had learned that this quiet time was not meant to be a play period. The most the cat might do would be to crawl up on T'Pol's lap as she sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the candles. Batty's purring, T'Pol had found, served to enhance her meditation process, because it gave her an auditory focal point upon which to concentrate, much like the flames of the candles provided a visual focus.

Tonight appeared to be an exception, however. Batty was neither on her lap, nor curled up on the bunk taking a nap, one of the cat's preferred pastimes. Instead, she was seated on T'Pol's desk, staring fixedly at a point on the wall next to the bunk approximately a meter above the floor.

To say T'Pol's concentration was poor would be an understatement. She couldn't center herself as she considered the possible reasons for the Batty's departure from her usual routine. Perhaps more training was in order, although she'd never specifically trained Batty to sit on her lap while she was meditating. The cat had taken it upon herself to join T'Pol during meditation, and T'Pol had allowed it.

Now T'Pol allowed herself a small sigh. The sooner she figured out the impetus behind Batty's unusual behavior, the sooner she could meditate. She rose to her feet and approached the cat. Batty turned her head to look at her for a moment, then resumed her steadfast gazing at the blank spot on the wall. Like Vulcans, Earth cats' sense of hearing was much better than that of humans. Perhaps Batty was detecting a sound that would normally go unnoticed. Try as she might, though, T'Pol couldn't hear anything other than the usual shipboard noises.

She glanced at the spot where she'd set up a feeding station. There was ample food and water in the bowls. Batty, therefore, was not trying to indicate her displeasure on that account. She walked to the bathroom and looked in to see that the litter box she'd placed there was not in need of cleaning.

T'Pol took the situation as a challenge -- one that, with proper discipline, could be overcome successfully. She returned to her spot on the floor, sank into a cross-legged seated position, and began her meditation again.

Her eyes closed, T'Pol didn't see the shadowy shimmer that moved toward the door. Batty, her unblinking gaze never wavering, did.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Finally! Batty and Porthos meet. Thanks for your reviews, and to those are reading.

CHAPTER 9

Hoshi was at the communications console the next morning when Malcolm arrived on the bridge. She happened to be looking in the direction of the turbolift when he stepped out and glanced behind him, and immediately reversed course. She thought at first that he'd forgotten something, but she soon realized that the tactical officer was in fact trying to herd one large gray cat with black stripes back into the turbolift.

Malcolm feinted first one way, then the other, as Torpedo tried to dodge his outstretched arms. Malcolm finally lunged, grabbed the cat, and pushed him back into the turbolift, managing to press the button to close the door before the determined cat could run back out. A disgruntled meow echoed across the bridge just before the door closed all the way.

Malcolm turned his back on the turbolift. He nonchalantly flicked a speck of lint -- or maybe it was a cat hair -- from his sleeve. Then, with a stern look at the bridge crew who had been watching in amusement, he strode to his station where he sat down and set to work.

Hoshi couldn't look at Travis, for she knew if she met the helmsman's eyes, she would burst out laughing. As it was, she didn't know how Travis had kept from laughing out loud. This had to be one of the funniest things that had ever happened on the bridge. She did sneak a peek at T'Pol at the science station. The Vulcan first officer had taken in the entire incident without comment and was looking across the bridge at Malcolm, who was studiously keeping his own gaze on his console. Hoshi was glad the captain wasn't on the bridge; Malcolm had been spared that humiliation at least.

This was the first time that Torpedo had shown any interest in visiting the bridge. As Hoshi thought about it, however, she realized that wasn't totally accurate. This was the only time during his current stay that Torpedo had tried to come to the bridge. The last time he'd been on board, he'd managed to get into the turbolift, probably with Trip's help, and had arrived on the bridge to present the captain with a dead alien rodent. Maybe there was some reason, other than catly curiosity, that explained Torpedo's desire to be on the bridge this morning.

Setting her console on automatic so that it would emit a beep if it should pick up any transmissions, Hoshi rose from her chair. She exchanged a glance with T'Pol as she passed the science station. There was a gleam in the Vulcan woman's eyes. Vulcans might not give in to such base emotions as humor, but she wouldn't put it past T'Pol to take some sort of vicarious pleasure in it. Strictly as an observer, of course.

Malcolm, she noticed as she approached, was trying to appear busy. His fingers were pushing buttons, and information was scrolling across several of the screens on his console. He had to be aware of her approach; he wouldn't be a very good security officer if he wasn't. So when she came to a halt next to him and he continued to work, not looking up, she knew he was ignoring her. He also was probably hoping she'd go away.

She leaned her hip against the railing next to his console and crossed her arms. "Is your security cat insecure again?"

Malcolm's hands stilled on his console. Hoshi heard the tiniest of sighs from him. He dropped his head, then lifted it to look at her. "It would seem that way," he said with a strained smile.

"Torpedo was off like a shot this morning when I let him out of my cabin," she said, "but it was probably to find you, wasn't it?"

Malcolm nodded. "Yes. He's been following me all morning." He looked off into the distance. "But the strange thing is..." He looked back at her, a slight frown on his face. "Yesterday, he kept tagging after members of my armory staff. Usually he's all over the ship, not just with my men."

"That is strange," Hoshi agreed. "Come to think of it, Chef did ask me at breakfast this morning where Torpedo had been. He normally visits the galley at least once during the day, and he didn't show up at all yesterday."

"Look, Hoshi," Malcolm began. "I know you're supposed to be taking care of the cats, and we all haven't really minded the two big ones roaming loose, but there hasn't been a problem until now."

"Speak for yourself," Hoshi muttered, rubbing her arm where Batty had scratched her last week before moving in with T'Pol. From Hoshi's point of view, things had been better since Batty began residing somewhere other than her cabin.

"If Torpedo keeps behaving like he did, trying to get onto the bridge, you may have to keep him confined to your quarters," Malcolm said. He lowered his voice, but that didn't lessen his intensity. "The bridge is no place for a cat. We agree on that. He might be a distraction that could prove disastrous in an emergency situation. So far, he hasn't interfered with anyone's duties, other than embarrassing me by following me to the bridge. But, if he keeps being so...pushy, it could cause problems in the performance of the crew's duties elsewhere on the ship."

"But--" Hoshi started to protest, only to stop. Malcolm was right. That the cats might be in the way had been a major concern the first time Torpedo and Warp Core had been on board. It was lucky that Captain Archer had a soft spot for animals; otherwise, Torpedo and Warp Core might have spent the entire time on board in cages, especially when they'd become experts in escaping from her cabin. But, it had worked out all right in the end. She'd assumed it would be the same this time.

Malcolm must have sensed her disappointment, for he said, "Maybe this is just a temporary aberration on Torpedo's part. If he doesn't do it again, I see no reason to insist you lock him up."

"He's a pretty smart cat," Hoshi mused. "Maybe he learned his lesson when you threw him off the bridge."

Despite his opposition to a cat's presence in the command center of the ship, Malcolm bristled at her terminology. "I did not throw him off the bridge. I merely showed him that he wasn't welcome here."

"I didn't mean it literally," Hoshi assured him with a small smile. The captain wasn't the only one with a soft spot for a particular pet. Hoshi knew that Malcolm liked Torpedo. He wouldn't have put up with the cat this long if he hadn't. Her smile disappeared as she pondered the situation. "The first day or so after we took the cats off the _Southern Cross_, Torpedo was jumpy and needed lots of attention, didn't he?"

"Yes, that's right. He stuck to me like a shadow."

"But then he calmed down and went his own way," Hoshi continued.

Malcolm nodded.

"So what's set him off again?" she wondered out loud. There was only one thing she could think of. She turned toward the science station and asked, "Subcommander? Have Batty and Torpedo run into each other lately?"

T'Pol, who had been openly listening to their conversation, replied, "No."

Hoshi turned back to Malcolm and shrugged. "Maybe it's just an aberration, like you said."

* * *

Trip was satisfied with the results of the diagnostics of the warp engine and related systems. Everything was at top efficiency, as he had anticipated, but it never hurt to be sure. _Enterprise _would be more than ready for its visit to Rigel IV.

He was looking at the warp engine with a fond eye when he noticed a large orange object near one of the auxiliary panels on the main level of engineering. Warp Core, it seemed, had found something of interest. The cat was sitting on the deck staring at something above his head on the panel that displayed the helm control settings on the bridge. From where Trip stood, everything appeared as it should be, but he was never one to take something for chance as far as this ship was concerned. He walked over to stand next to the watchful cat.

"What are you looking at, Warp Core?" he asked as he checked the settings on the panel.

The cat responded with a squeaky meow, making Trip chuckle. He was never going to get used to that small, high-pitched meow coming out of such a large cat. There were times Warp Core sounded just like one of Porthos's squeaky toys.

The settings on the panel were all correct. There were no warning lights flashing, no alarm bells. His staff having just run diagnostics, he didn't expect otherwise. He chalked up Warp Core's preoccupation to the fact that cats often stared at nothing. At least Warp Core wasn't constantly following him around any more like he had been the day before, Trip thought. He reached down, tickled the cat's ears, then walked over to climb the ladder to the warp control platform. He'd do a little polishing, and then _Enterprise _would be all set for that hoity-toity inauguration.

After the engineer walked away, Warp Core lifted a paw to lick it before wiping it over his ear. He halted in mid-lick, however, as his large green eyes locked on a spot above the adjacent auxiliary panel. With a soft inquisitive meow, he walked over to that panel, sat down, and resuming staring.

* * *

Hoshi was on her way to her quarters after dinner when she rounded a corner in the corridor and ran smack into T'Pol. As if that wasn't enough to startle her, a sharp hiss followed by spitting from deck level made her jump back.

Trip had informed Hoshi earlier that T'Pol had trained Batty to a leash, but she wasn't sure she had believed him. Trip did have a tendency to exaggerate. Now, seeing the puffed-up ball of black fur next to the Vulcan's feet, and the red harness and matching leash, Hoshi was inclined to believe him.

"Sorry," Hoshi mumbled as she stared at Batty, who stared right back with that superior attitude that only cats and Vulcans could get away with. "I was thinking about something else. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going."

"No harm was done," T'Pol replied calmly.

As if taking a cue from the person holding the other end of the leash, Batty issued a chesty rumble, sat down, and blinked twice. Her bushed-out tail gradually resumed its normal size.

Hoshi tore her gaze away from the cat to address T'Pol. "Trip told me you'd trained Batty to a harness and leash..." She ran out of words as the Vulcan stared impassively at her. T'Pol had managed to accomplish in a few short days what few humans had successfully attempted, or had even bothered to try. The vast majority of cats simply did not want to be at the end of a leash, much less obey anyone else's commands. It wasn't in their nature to be restricted that way.

Unless it was to their advantage, Hoshi thought. She wouldn't put it past Batty to be showing off just how much smarter she was than Torpedo and Warp Core. Then she chided herself for such a foolish idea. She was projecting human attributes onto a tiny little cat. Sure, Batty was intelligent -- for a cat. But a cat was all she was. To give her credit for any sentient-like, higher mental processes was ridiculous.

Footsteps from around the corner, along with a peculiar clicking on the deck plates, made all three of them turn toward the direction of the sound.

"That's the captain, and Porthos is with him," Hoshi said quickly as she identified the sound of dog toe nails on metal. "Batty and Porthos have never been introduced."

T'Pol lifted an eyebrow.

"You've got to get Batty out of here," Hoshi insisted. "There will be a fight when--"

Too late. Hoshi saw Porthos amble around the corner at the end of the corridor. Jon was only a few paces behind. Jon started to smile when he saw them, but his smile froze as his gaze shifted lower to Batty.

"Porthos!" Jon called out.

Too late again. The beagle was already running toward them. T'Pol snapped her fingers, but to no avail; Batty refused to respond to the command to jump into her arms as Hoshi had seen her do in the Vulcan's cabin. Instead, Batty was holding her ground. She reared up on her hind legs, front paws up in a boxer's stance. Hoshi was reminded of a stuffed grizzly bear she'd seen on display at a ski lodge during one of her family's vacations. Despite her small size, Batty managed to project the same aura of invincibility as had the long-deceased bear.

That didn't seem to deter Porthos. He was, after all, much larger than Batty, and this feline intruder was in his territory.

At the last moment before Porthos would have been on Batty, T'Pol reached down and scooped up the cat. _She's a braver woman than I am, _Hoshi thought_. I wouldn't try that or I'd be covered in scratches. _But although Batty's ears had gone back flat against her head, she appeared remarkably calm, despite the fact that one very excited, barking dog was leaping against T'Pol's legs.

The captain, who had broken into a run to catch up to Porthos, grabbed the dog by his collar and pulled him away. "Sit!" he ordered.

Porthos paid no heed. He continued to bark and lunge toward T'Pol, whose nose wrinkled as her Vulcan sense of smell registered the dog's presence. Jon picked Porthos up and tucked him securely under one arm. When Porthos finally quit struggling and settled down to a few random growls and a couple of menacing lip curls, Jon praised the dog quietly, then turned his attention toward what he clearly believed was the cause of the ruckus.

"So this is the trouble-maker I've heard so much about," Jon said only half-jokingly as he looked at Batty nestled protectively in T'Pol's arms.

T'Pol, her chin rising fractionally, stated, "She is no trouble at all."

"If you wouldn't have been out here walking your cat, Porthos wouldn't have gone crazy," Jon riposted.

Hoshi decided there was about to be an argument along the lines of dogs versus cats, for she could detect the underlying tension in Jon's voice and the open disdain in T'Pol's. It looked like she was going to have to be the peacemaker before things got out of hand. A low growl from Porthos stiffened her determination to intervene. "Uh, Captain, now might not--"

"If you would discipline your pet more effectively," T'Pol said over her, "this altercation would not have occurred."

T'Pol ended the discussion by turning on her heel and walking away. Just before she turned down an intersecting corridor, Hoshi saw a tiny black head pop up to look back at them over T'Pol's shoulder. She wouldn't have been surprised to see a tiny pink tongue sticking out of the cat's mouth.

Hoshi wished she had the option of marching away in offended dignity, but Jon was her superior officer. She turned to face him. "I'm sorry about that, sir."

Next to her, Jon exhaled heavily. "Me, too. I probably ought to apologize to T'Pol." He scratched Porthos behind his ears. "I wouldn't have been in such a snit if Porthos hadn't been acting so strangely earlier."

Hoshi studied Porthos closely. She couldn't see that anything was wrong with him. "Is he sick?" she asked.

"I don't think so," Jon said, "but he's been restless all evening. I finally decided to take him for a walk after he barked for a half hour straight."

"What was he barking at?" Hoshi asked.

"I have no idea," Jon said. "He was just standing in the middle of my quarters, barking at nothing."

That didn't sound like Porthos at all. Hoshi rubbed the dog's head. He looked back at her, his usual good nature reasserting itself as he happily licked her fingers. "It could be he's just bored," Hoshi offered. "Taking him for a walk was a good idea. He just needs to work off some excess energy."

"You're probably right," Jon said. He put Porthos down. "Come on, boy. Let's take a walk down to engineering and see what Trip's up to."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: What you've all been waiting for -- the crew finally figures out what's going on. Thanks for hanging in there so far with this story.

CHAPTER 10

A day away from Rigel IV, _Enterprise_ came to a sudden stop.

"That wasn't supposed to happen," muttered Travis who, seated at the helm, was punching in commands that his console wasn't obeying.

The door to the ready room slid open. "Why have we dropped out of warp?" Jon asked as he strode toward his chair in the command well on the bridge.

"I don't know, sir," Travis reported as he continued to work the helm controls with no result. "We were at warp four, and all of a sudden, we just stopped."

From the science station, T'Pol said, "The warp engine appears to be off line."

Jon sat in his chair. He thumbed a button on the armrest's com panel. "Trip? What's going on?"

It was a few moments before the chief engineer responded. _"I haven't got the slightest idea, Cap'n. The warp engine shut down for no reason at all. All indicators are still reading green."_

Trip's uncertainty came through loud and clear. In the background, Jon could hear the engineering staff as they worked to track down the problem. It was never a good sign when there was enough noise in engineering that he could hear it over the intercom. "There has to be a reason," he said.

_"I'll let you know as soon as I find out," _Trip replied.

Jon cut the connection and looked at T'Pol. "What about our other systems? Is anything else not working?"

"Everything appears to be operating within normal parameters," she said. She looked up from the readouts on the various screens on her console. "Except the warp engine."

"Nothing on long-range scanners, sir," came Malcolm's voice from the tactical station behind him.

Jon swiveled his chair so that he could look at Malcolm. The tactical officer was alert, his expression severe. Malcolm's first reaction to the warp engine going offline for no apparent reason, Jon knew, was that it had been sabotaged. In this instance, so close to an important diplomatic event, Jon couldn't ignore that possibility. "Keep an eye on the scanners, Malcolm. Let's hope this engine malfunction isn't a prelude to an attack."

"Aye, sir," Malcolm responded crisply.

Jon turned back to T'Pol. "How is this going to affect our arrival at Rigel IV?"

"Provided the engine is operational within the next--" She checked something on her console. "-- five-point-seven hours, we can arrive on schedule if we increase our warp factor to five."

Rarely did they travel at the highest warp factor, for the strain on both the engine and the ship's structural integrity was considerable. Travis, his expression a mixture of anticipation and dread, turned to look at Jon from the helm.

"I know, Travis," Jon said. "But it will only be for a short time if it takes very long to fix whatever is wrong. The engine should be able to handle it."

The com beeped, followed by Trip's voice. _"Cap'n? Could you send Hoshi down here?"_

Jon didn't understand why engineering would need a communications officer. He looked at Hoshi over at her station. She appeared as perplexed as he was. "Why?" he asked Trip.

_"Uh, Torpedo and Warp Core are gettin' underfoot."_

Jon frowned. He had believed all along that allowing the cats to roam loose on the ship wasn't a good idea, but until today he'd been happy not to have been proven correct. To some extent, he was surprised this hadn't happened sooner. He remembered that, the last time Torpedo and Warp Core had been on board, he'd issued a directive to Hoshi: At the first sign that the cats were becoming a problem, they were to be kept locked up in her cabin.

To be fair, this was the first time either of the two big cats had really been in the way. Well, except for that time during their first visit when he'd misunderstood something Trip had said and had thought that the warp core was going to breach. He'd almost ordered the crew to abandon ship before he'd realized that it was Warp Core the cat -- not the warp core of the engine -- releasing excess energy in a bout of running around the engineering department.

Still, the safety of _Enterprise _came first.

"They're both in engineering?" he asked, seeking clarification.

_"Uh, yeah. And they're actin' kind of strange. I don't need to pull any of my personnel off what they're doing to deal with them right now."_

"Hoshi will be right down," Jon said tersely. He clicked off the com and gave Hoshi a look that said she better get moving.

As she entered the turbolift, Jon leaned back in his chair, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders. He hoped that whatever was wrong with the engine was just a glitch and could be corrected quickly. If _Enterprise _didn't show up for the inauguration, it could be a setback in diplomatic relations between Rigel IV and Earth. And he hadn't memorized that darn three-hundred word greeting for nothing. Hoshi had given it to him earlier that morning, and he'd finally managed to recite the whole thing correctly when the ship had dropped out of warp.

He also was annoyed that, in the midst of what could be a crisis, he'd had to send one of his bridge staff to deal with two misbehaving pets. He could have ordered someone else to roust the cats out of engineering, and he would have, if Hoshi had work to do that required she remain on the bridge. But there hadn't been much comm traffic to keep her busy, and she'd finished the protocol briefs he'd asked her to prepare. He also knew she would put the cats in a place where they couldn't cause any trouble, since they were her responsibility and she took her duties seriously.

He'd seen her blush as she'd headed for the turbolift; she didn't like it when he was upset with her. She probably thought he was blaming her for his annoyance about the cats. Well, he was, in a way. The root of his irritation about the cats could be considered her fault. If she'd never brought the cats aboard in the first place... Ah, well, he told himself. Not everyone could be a dog person.

In front of him, Travis was still trying to coax a response from the helm. Jon exhaled heavily as he resigned himself to waiting until Trip could figure out what was wrong with the engine. With nothing else to occupy his mind, his thoughts returned to the feline problem. He would tell Hoshi that the cats had to be confined until after their visit to Rigel IV. He'd make a decision about whether they could resume their roaming of the ship after the inauguration was over.

At least, he thought somewhat self-righteously, he had the good sense to keep Porthos confined to his cabin when he was on duty.

* * *

Hoshi felt her cheeks flush as she left the bridge.

The captain was not happy. She didn't blame him. The warp engine wasn't working and it needed to be fixed so they could arrive at Rigel IV on time. Normally Jon's irritation at such things wouldn't make her overly anxious, but she was responsible for at least part of his ill mood, as Warp Core and Torpedo apparently were keeping those repairs from being made as quickly as possible. She had been the one who, the first time the cats had been on board, had asked the captain to allow the cats to run free on the ship. She'd just assumed it would be the same this time. She had never imagined they'd cause a problem, much less in a situation where they might make things worse simply by being present.

As the turbolift carried her to E deck, she wondered why Torpedo was in engineering anyway. During the daytime, Warp Core's primary hangout was with Trip and his staff, but Torpedo didn't stay in one place too long. At this time of day, he might be anywhere from the crew quarters on B deck down to sickbay or the mess hall on E deck. By late afternoon, he'd be all the way down on F deck where the armory was located. He might poke his nose into engineering at some point during the day, but Trip said he never stayed for very long.

And as far as Warp Core was concerned, Trip had never before complained about the big orange cat being in engineering.

She was aware of a commotion as soon as she left the turbolift. Shouted orders and acknowledgments could be heard through the open main hatch to engineering.

Torpedo did have a knack for showing up where something was going on. She wondered if he could somehow have known there was a problem in engineering. She shook her head as she walked down the corridor. Once again, she was projecting human qualities onto a cat. She really needed to stop doing that.

Hoshi stepped through the open hatch to a scene of controlled chaos. Trip, nimbly sidestepping Warp Core at his feet, was issuing orders as he moved from station to station, each of which was manned by a member of the engineering staff. At first, she didn't see Torpedo, but when she glanced up, she spied him perched on the rail around the upper level. He was doing a peculiar shuffle, shifting his weight, his tail lashing about for balance. With dismay, she realized he was going to jump.

"Look out!" she cried as she hurried toward Torpedo's projected landing pad.

Torpedo hit Trip's personal work table on engineering's main floor with a thud, but as was typical of cats, he'd managed to land on his feet. He immediately sat and began grooming a spot on his back.

Between her shout and the unexpected flight of the feline, Hoshi was suddenly the focus of all eyes in engineering. She grabbed Torpedo, who emitted a startled grunt, and turned to face the curious stares. "Sorry about that," she said sheepishly as she hugged the cat to her.

The crew members went back to work, but Trip strode over to her. "Thanks, Hoshi. I don't know what's gotten into him today. He normally doesn't hang around here, especially when there's a lot of work going on. I'm assuming you're going to take them back to your cabin?" At her answering nod, he looked around, then back at her. "I don't think I can spare anyone to help you."

"That's all right," Hoshi mumbled. She was still embarrassed, but Trip, bless him, wasn't making a big deal about this. She made sure she had a good grip on the gray cat so that he couldn't get away from her. "I'll take Torpedo to my cabin, then come back and get Warp Core."

At the mention of his name, the orange cat let out a loud meow. He was practically between Trip's feet. No wonder the engineer had asked her to get both cats out of engineering.

"May I be of assistance, Ensign Sato?"

Hoshi turned to see Foster, one of the security staff, walking purposefully toward her. "Yes, please," she said gratefully and handed over Torpedo. She was happy to see that Foster seemed at ease with the gray cat. But then, Torpedo was the unofficial mascot of the armory. He and Foster were already acquainted.

Trip, seeing that the situation was under control, gave them with a curt nod and turned to go back to figuring out what was wrong with the warp engine. Hoshi had to make a grab for Warp Core who had started to trot after the chief engineer.

As she scooped up the orange cat, Foster said, "Lieutenant Reed said you might need some help."

Malcolm must feel partially responsible for this mess, too, she realized. Their tactical officer was well aware of Torpedo's penchant for roaming, and although he'd voiced his reservations about it, he hadn't insisted she keep the cats locked up. Yet. Even the other day, when Torpedo had shown up on the bridge, Malcolm had said he'd give Torpedo another chance. But the cats had pretty much blown that chance today. She wouldn't be surprised if they were destined to being confined for the duration of their stay.

"I appreciate you taking time from your duties to help with this," she said to Foster as they made their way to the same hatch through which she had entered engineering.

"No problem," Foster said, standing aside to allow her to exit first, "but I was off duty."

"Of course," Hoshi said dryly. Since Malcolm was on the bridge right now, it made perfect sense that he'd send one of his men to help, but not one who was on duty. That was so Malcolm.

They were about halfway down the corridor to the turbolift when it happened. A section of the corridor's wall seemed to shimmer, then resolidify. Hoshi's grasp on Warp Core tightened as she caught a glimpse of iridescent color before the wall returned to its normal dull grayish shade.

Next to her, Foster inhaled sharply. He'd spotted it, too. He dropped Torpedo, who landed on the deck with a grunt. Faster than Hoshi could see, one of Foster's hands went to his hip where he had a phase pistol clipped to his uniform. She was suddenly glad that Malcolm had sent one of his staff to help her, and an armed one at that.

"What was that?" Foster asked.

Hoshi had seen the weird shimmering before. It had been on _Enterprise'_s very first mission when they were taking a wounded Klingon back to his homeworld. She'd been in sickbay, trying to translate the Klingon's nonsensical rantings, when the power had gone out and sickbay had been plunged into darkness. After they'd found some flashlights and had turned them on, she'd caught a glimpse of shifting colors that had seemed to move along a wall.

"That," she said, "is what a Suliban who can blend in with its surroundings looks like when he's moving."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: If there any typos in this chapter, it's because a cat is sitting on my computer desk with his paw on my mouse hand.

CHAPTER 11

"Where did it go?" Foster asked, his eyes darting up and down the corridor.

Hoshi didn't know. Still holding Warp Core, she edged over to a com panel. Torpedo, she noticed, was sitting in the middle of the corridor where Foster had dropped him. Both cats' attention was riveted on the section of bulkhead where the shimmering had occurred.

She shifted Warp Core so that she could hold him with one arm -- no easy task, given his considerable weight -- and pressed the button to open a channel on the intercom. "Sato to the bridge. We have an intruder on E deck."

The response from the bridge was immediate. _"Hoshi? What's going on?"_ came Jon's voice.

Both cats' heads swiveled as they looked down the corridor toward engineering. Taking his cue from the cats, Foster, his phase pistol in his hand, cautiously moved in that direction.

"Sir, Foster and I are in the corridor leading to the main entrance to engineering," Hoshi said into the com. "Both of us saw what appears to be a Suliban who has chameleon abilities."

There was a moment while Hoshi heard Jon issuing orders. Then his voice came back. _"Stay where you are. More security is on its way."_

"Yes, sir." Hoshi pressed her back up against the bulkhead. If she had to stay here, there was no way she was going to let a Suliban get behind her. If it really was a Suliban, she told herself, but she knew hoping it wasn't was in vain. There was nothing else that she knew of that could make that odd shifting, almost like a piece of the bulkhead shaped like a person was moving.

Both cats' heads abruptly swung back toward a spot directly across the corridor from her. Her own gaze locked on the spot the cats were watching. "Foster!" she said. "Get over here!"

"I don't see anything like whatever it was we saw before," Foster said as he hurried back toward her.

"Neither do I," said Hoshi, "but I think the cats can."

Foster glanced at Torpedo, who chose that moment to begin stealthily moving toward the turbolift at the far end of the corridor from engineering. The cat was crouched low to the deck, his tail swishing, tracking something only he could detect. The security officer followed behind Torpedo in much the same manner -- slow, careful steps, every sense alert, his pistol held out before him.

When the captain had allowed Malcolm to initiate a series of new security protocols, Hoshi had thought he was being overzealous when she'd heard that even off-duty security personnel were to carry weapons during certain situations. The engine going offline for no reason had prompted such an alert. Caught up in the sudden appearance of an intruder, Hoshi decided she agreed whole-heartedly with Malcolm's hyper-cautiousness.

Warp Core suddenly began writhing in her grasp. Try as she might, she couldn't hang onto him. "Ow!" she cried involuntarily as he clawed her arm as he twisted away, breaking her hold and dropping heavily on all four paws to the deck.

Warp Core didn't pause to groom after the rough landing. With an inquisitive meow, he padded quickly over to Torpedo and took up a position behind and to one side of the gray cat. He, too, became engrossed in the hunt. In fits and starts, the pair of felines moved down the corridor toward the turbolift, their gazes following something only they could see.

The cats were about ten meters from the turbolift, Foster trailing cautiously behind the cats and Hoshi still flush up against the bulkhead, when the 'lift door slid open. Malcolm, phase pistol at the ready, stepped into the corridor. Hoshi could see him assessing the situation. He looked at Foster who was frantically scanning the area, then at the cats, who were staring fixedly at a point on the corridor's wall. Without hesitation, Malcolm aimed his phase pistol at the same spot at which the cats were staring, and fired.

At the brilliant glare of the phase pistol discharge and its corresponding high-pitched waspish sound, Warp Core took off running for engineering. Hoshi tackled the frightened cat as he tried to dash by her. Instead of fighting her, he snuggled up close where she lay on the deck, burrowing his head into the crook of her neck, as if by not being able to see what was going on, he'd be safe.

Torpedo, on the other hand, appeared not the least bit afraid. Quite the contrary. If anything, he was angry. His back was arched, his tail was bushed out, and a growl that went up and down in pitch came from his throat as he did a strange dance around what was now visible in the middle of the corridor. The body on the deck was indeed that of a Suliban.

"Stun him again if he shows the slightest sign of waking up," Malcolm told Foster.

Foster nodded and trained his phase pistol on the motionless Suliban.

Malcolm went to help Hoshi where she was sprawled in the corridor with Warp Core wrapped protectively in her arms. "Are you all right?" Malcolm asked her.

"I think so," she managed to say. The quickness of what had happened had been unsettling. With Malcolm's hand at her elbow, she was able to stand without letting go of Warp Core. She looked at the Suliban, then at the place on the wall at which Malcolm had fired.

Following her gaze, Malcolm explained, "I shot at what the cats obviously could detect. And if the Suliban wasn't there, no real damage would have been done to the bulkhead by a phase pistol set on stun." There was a touch of smugness in his voice as he added, "It seemed the most expedient thing to do."

Hoshi nodded. "That makes sense," she agreed.

The sound of running footsteps came from the intersecting corridor nearest engineering. Two more of Malcolm's security staff rounded the corner. Their steps slowed as they saw that the intruder had been captured.

"Just in time," Malcolm said. "Get this--" He gestured toward the Suliban. "--to sickbay, where Phlox can keep him sedated. I don't want him coming round and disappearing again before we figure out how to keep him detained."

Hoshi and Malcolm stepped aside as the men moved to obey. The two newcomers picked up the body and, slinging it between them with the Suliban's arms around their shoulders, moved off toward sickbay. Malcolm smiled in sardonic approval as Foster fell in behind them, his phase pistol aimed at the back of the Suliban on the chance the intruder should regain consciousness.

The unofficial mascot of the armory appeared to want to provide an escort for the group.

"Come here," Malcolm said as he scooped up Torpedo before the gray cat could trot after the trio of security personnel taking the prisoner away. He rubbed the top of the cat's head. "I think you've done more than your share for the day."

Torpedo blinked once up at him and purred.

In Hoshi's arms, Warp Core finally pulled his head away from her to look around and emit a quavery, high-pitched squeak.

* * *

The captain immediately called a meeting of the senior staff. Hoshi and Malcolm had just enough time to put Warp Core and Torpedo in her cabin before they had to be back on the bridge. Even though the cats had helped find the intruder, Hoshi wasn't about to push her luck. She'd been ordered to get Torpedo and Warp Core out of engineering, and she wanted to be able to assure the captain, in case he asked, that they were in a secure place where they couldn't cause any more problems.

Hoshi had been hard pressed to keep up with Malcolm as they'd hurried first to her cabin, then to the turbolift. She appreciated that he'd taken the time to help her with the cats, but she knew he was probably wishing he had gone directly back to the bridge. Then again, her cabin was only one deck below the bridge, so maybe he thought it was quicker just to help her than to wait until someone else could be called to assist her.

His face was set in hard lines as they boarded the turbolift for the brief ride to the bridge.

"What's the matter?" she asked him. "We caught the Suliban."

"Yes, we did," he agreed tersely. He looked like he wanted to say more, but the turbolift door opened, and he clamped his mouth shut as they walked out onto the bridge.

One look at the viewscreen was enough to tell Hoshi that _Enterprise _was still dead in the water. The stars were glittering points of light, not elongated streaks that were typical of warp, and the pilot's seat at the helm was empty. The captain, along with T'Pol and Travis, was waiting for them at the situation table at the back of the bridge.

Jon wasted no time starting the meeting. As soon as Hoshi and Malcolm joined them, he said, "A Suliban's on board and the engine quit working. I'm going to assume the two are connected. Trip's still in engineering, trying to figure out what the Suliban did."

At a glance from Jon, T'Pol said, "Doctor Phlox reports that he is keeping the Suliban sedated until he can run tests to determine if he can shape change. If the Suliban does have shape-shifting abilities, nothing short of a sealed, airtight compartment will be able to confine him. Maybe not even that."

"Since he's sedated," Malcolm put in, "that means he can't be questioned."

"Not that he'd tell us anything if we could talk to him," Jon said, "but we have a bigger problem here than one Suliban taking up a bed in sickbay."

For Hoshi, Malcolm's next words explained his tense mood. "Where there's one Suliban, there's bound to be more."

Jon nodded curtly. "They usually operate in groups."

"You think there are more of them on board, sir?" Travis asked.

"Internal scans reveal no biosigns other than the expected crew complement," T'Pol said, "but Suliban can be genetically enhanced so as to be undetectable by current Starfleet technology. It might--"

She was interrupted by a page for the captain. Jon took a step over to a com panel set into the wall behind the situation table. "Archer here."

_"Cap'n, I think I know what caused the warp engine to go offline," _came Trip's voice. _"Somebody rigged a bypass loop with the warp controls down here. Then they used a cutoff switch in one of the junction panels to shut down the engine. With the bypass, all the readings indicated nothing was wrong."_

"Can you fix it?" Jon asked.

_"No problem, now that we know what caused it. The warp engine should be coming back on line any moment."_

Jon looked at Travis and jerked his head toward the helm. The young man immediately strode to the console, sat down, and began entering commands. After a few moments, he turned in his chair to tell the captain, "We're good to go, sir."

"Resume our previous heading at warp four, Travis," Jon ordered. A hard smile crossed his face as he turned back to the remaining officers at the situation table. "We're moving again, but I don't expect it to last for long. Something else is bound to happen."

"I doubt any other Suliban on board will attempt disabling the engine again," Malcolm said. "It will probably be some other type of attack."

"I agree," Jon said. He thought for a moment. "We need to know how they got on board, and if there is one of their ships nearby. In addition to standard exterior scans, I want those quantum beacons reinstalled on the grappler arms."

Standard scans wouldn't reveal any Suliban ships that were cloaked. But data that had been given to them by Crewman Daniels, the time-traveling agent from the future, that had enabled them to build beacons that could detect Suliban stealth cruisers.

Jon turned to T'Pol. "I want you and Hoshi to conduct the scans as soon as the beacons are in place. In the meantime," he said, looking at Malcolm, "we need to find any Suliban still on board besides our 'guest' in sickbay. But how?"

Hoshi saw a smirk appear on Malcolm's face. "I have an idea about that, sir."

A few minutes later, after Malcolm had outlined his unorthodox plan and the captain had agreed to it, Hoshi wondered why they'd bothered to put Torpedo and Warp Core back in her cabin before they'd come to the bridge.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hang on...here we go! Again, thanks to those who have taken the time to leave reviews. They help feed my muse.

CHAPTER 12

The hunt for hidden Suliban was about to begin.

Hoshi and Malcolm had returned to her cabin, gathered up Torpedo and Warp Core, and hurried back to the bridge. T'Pol had gone to her quarters and returned to the bridge with Batty. Since the warp engine was now operable, Trip had been called to the bridge because of his familiarity with a certain member of one of the proposed search parties. Warp Core, cradled in the chief engineer's arms, was taking in the proceedings with wide green eyes.

"This is going to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever done," Trip complained to those standing around the situation table.

If it weren't for the cat he was holding, Hoshi thought, he'd be waving his arms in the air.

Next to Trip, T'Pol was calmly adjusting the red harness on Batty, who was sitting alertly on a corner of the situation table. "I tend to agree," T'Pol said to Trip. "However, we have no other choice but to wait and see what the Suliban do next." She shot a glance at Malcolm. "If there are any more of them on board."

"There are more," Malcolm said confidently. "And from a tactical standpoint, it's better to take a proactive stance than a defensive one." He slid Torpedo, who was lounging on top of the schematic of the ship on the table's screen, to one side so that he could look at the display.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Trip asked querulously. "What if the cats don't see anything?"

"Then we're back to where we started," Jon told him, "but there is the possibility that, if you walk the corridors with the cats, at least one of them is going to have the same kind of reaction that Malcolm and Hoshi described that led to the capture of the Suliban who's now in sickbay. What have we got to lose?"

"Besides the respect of the rest of the crew, you mean?" Trip asked.

Jon frowned at him. "Have you got a better idea?"

"Well," Trip said. He looked away, made an unhappy face, then looked back. "No."

That ended the discussion. Jon walked over to his chair in the command well and sat down. He and Travis, who had been piloting since the engine had come back on line, would be staying on the bridge during the search. Ensign Kilpatrick was at communications, assigned to do the quantum beacon sweeps since T'Pol and Hoshi would be members of the search parties.

There were three cats, so there would be three search teams. Each cat would have a handler with whom they were comfortable: Warp Core with Trip, Batty with T'Pol, and Torpedo with Hoshi. Each team would be accompanied by a member of the security staff who would deal with any Suliban they encountered. In Torpedo's case, Malcolm had opted to be the armed escort as opposed to the handler. That left Hoshi to keep the big gray cat under control.

The turbolift door slid open, and two security personnel stepped out.

Malcolm motioned them over. "Foster, you're with Commander Tucker. Welsh, you're with Subcommander T'Pol. We're going to be looking for Suliban that can blend in with their surroundings, just like the one you saw, Foster. Don't wait to get a visual. If one of the cats goes into stalking mode, shoot whatever they are staring at."

If the two security men thought that cat-led search parties was a crazy idea, or that shooting at something they couldn't see was questionable, neither one voiced those opinions. One look at their departmental chief was enough to convince them that Malcolm was serious.

Hoshi picked up Torpedo. The gray cat tilted his head back to look at her face. He stuck one front paw up to lightly touch her cheek. Despite the gravity of the situation, Hoshi had to smile. "Looks like he's ready," she said.

Malcolm nodded brusquely. "Let's get started. We're going to check the bridge first before we start working our way down one deck at a time." He gestured for Trip to begin moving clockwise around the upper walkway.

As Trip carried Warp Core in the direction of the forward viewscreen, T'Pol picked Batty up from the table, placed her on the deck, and, holding onto the cat's leash, began slowly walking in the opposite direction.

Hoshi didn't wait for instructions. Holding Torpedo, she stepped down into the command well and began a slow circuit of the area. As she passed Jon in his chair, she said quietly, "We may be expecting too much from the cats, sir."

"I'm surprised at you, Hoshi," Jon said just as softly but with a slight smile. "I'd expect to hear something like that from T'Pol." He glanced at the upper level where Batty was sniffing the edge of the science console. T'Pol, watching her charge intently, seemed even more serious than usual. "Then again..."

"This is going to take some time," Hoshi said. "You can't hurry cats when they don't want to be hurried."

"As long as _Enterprise _is still heading for Rigel IV, I won't consider it wasted time," he told her.

Trip's exasperated voice cut through the relative quiet of the bridge. "Oh, for pity's sake!"

Hoshi turned to see Trip in front of the main viewscreen. He standing close enough to it that Warp Core, still cradled in his arms, was licking it.

"There's nothing there, you silly cat," Trip said, taking a step back. "If there was, we would have bumped into it."

Batty and T'Pol, meanwhile, had slowly but steadily made their way around the upper walkway. As they reached the front of the bridge, Batty leaped down onto the helm console in front of Travis. She curiously sniffed some of the buttons -- without stepping on any, Hoshi noticed -- then turned toward the viewscreen. When she spotted Warp Core in Trip's arms, she let out a loud hiss. The orange cat stared back unblinkingly.

"It's probably a good thing we'll be splitting up when we leave the bridge," Hoshi muttered.

* * *

T'Pol and Batty, with Welsh trailing watchfully behind, climbed down the emergency stairwell located near the ready room. At the same time, Hoshi and Trip, their feline Suliban detectors, and their security escorts crowded together into the turbolift. Their destination, as was T'Pol's, was the deck just beneath the bridge. When they reached B deck, they would lock down the turbolift so it couldn't be summoned to another deck, then they would separate into their two teams, going in opposite directions around the circular layout. T'Pol and Batty would remain at the bottom of the stairwell so that no Suliban could slip by them and reach the bridge while the other two teams were searching.

As an extra precaution, all crew members were ordered to remain at their posts or in their quarters. No personnel other than the search teams would be moving around the ship.

"I wish we'd had time so we could have outfitted Torpedo and Warp Core with harnesses and leashes," Malcolm said as he and Hoshi moved off along the starboard section of B deck. He eyed the large gray cat she was carrying. "This would have been a lot easier, especially on you, if we had."

"I'm not sure that would have worked," Hoshi replied. "Have you ever seen a cat that didn't want to wear a harness?"

That brought a ghost of a smile to Malcolm's lips. "I suppose it would be much the same as when Batty didn't want me to touch her when we found her on the _Southern Cross_."

"There is that," Hoshi conceded. "But even if you could get a harness on an unwilling cat, chances are it would just keel over and lay on the floor until you took the harness off."

"Really?" Malcolm checked behind them, then looked forward again as they continued their slow pace down the corridor. "It doesn't seem like T'Pol had any trouble training Batty."

Hoshi snorted, although it came out more like a gasp. As Malcolm had pointed out, letting Torpedo walk would have been a lot easier on her. The cat felt like he was becoming heavier by the minute. She shifted him so that his front paws were over her shoulder, taking some of the strain off her arms. "It does seem remarkable how fast T'Pol trained Batty to accept a harness and leash. I wonder if maybe Batty was already used to it. Somebody on the _Southern Cross _may gotten her used to it before T'Pol tried it."

Malcolm poked his head around the corner of an intersecting corridor and took a long look. When he looked back at her, he said, "I overheard some of my staff talking about it. They likened T'Pol to a witch, and called Batty her 'familiar'."

"Malcolm!" Hoshi said. "I can't believe anyone on this ship would say something like that."

"They were joking, but I shut that line of talk down very quickly, of course," he assured her. He leaned forward so that he could see past her in the opposite direction down the intersecting corridor. "We should walk both these segments, but let's wait until Trip's group catches up with us."

Hoshi stroked Torpedo's back as they waited. The gray cat seemed to be taking this experience well. He was interested in what they were doing, but not overly interested. Apparently no Suliban yet, Hoshi thought.

After a few minutes of waiting, Malcolm said, "I've heard that Vulcans have some unusual mental abilities. Maybe T'Pol is telepathically controlling that darned cat."

* * *

Trip thought using cats to find Suliban was a stupid idea, but he hadn't been able to come up with a better one. He seriously doubted they'd find anything, but he was resigned to walking the port half the ship, from top to bottom, carrying a ton of dead weight disguised as an orange furball.

Warp Core wasn't helping matters. Normally the most placid of creatures, he couldn't seem to settle down in Trip's arms. He kept wiggling around, alternately uttering small meows and high-pitched chirruping noises.

"Do you think he sees something, sir?" Foster asked.

"I doubt it," Trip answered. "He's not looking at anything in particular, at least not that I can tell. I think he just wants down."

They walked a few more steps, Warp Core squirming the whole way. Trip was beginning to wonder if he'd be able to hold on to the cat for all seven decks.

"Sir?"

"What is it, Foster?"

"It seems to me that he's not used to being held."

If there had been a light bulb above his head, it would have just lit up, Trip thought. Of course Warp Core wasn't used to being held for a long stretch of time. Nobody held him for long -- he weighed too much. For all Trip knew, it was just as awkward for Warp Core as it was for him.

He shifted Warp Core around in his arms so that he could look the cat in the eyes. "Warp Core, we have an important job to do. I'm going to put you down on the deck, and you're going to walk along with us, and not take off running somewhere else. Okay?"

As if he understood every word that Trip had said, Warp Core let out a strident meow and squeezed his eyes shut once.

"Sounds like a 'yes' to me," Trip muttered.

He bent over and put the cat on the deck. When he straightened, he caught Foster grinning at him.

"That little conversation I just had with Warp Core? It stays between you, me and the cat," Trip warned him.

* * *

If T'Pol had been human, guarding the stairwell to the bridge while waiting for the others to finish the search of B deck would have been tedious. But she was Vulcan, so she patiently spent the time observing her surroundings. She watched Batty, who was nosing around as far as the leash would allow. She watched for activity in the deserted walkway leading away from the stairwell, but there was none. And she occasionally watched Welsh, whose fidgeting would have provided a distraction for a less-focused individual than herself.

Since the security officer was not well-acquainted with her, and more importantly, since she was his superior officer, he did not attempt to engage her in the human custom of small talk. That suited T'Pol, for she was also using her hearings as a tool of observation. Conversation might prevent her from hearing other sounds. As it was, she could hear muted activity on the bridge through the stairwell behind her. The noises were in keeping with the normal operation of the ship, so she noted them, then ignored them.

They had been waiting approximately six minutes when Batty suddenly tensed with her ears, eyes and whiskers all pointed upward.

"Ensign," T'Pol said to alert Welsh to the change in Batty's demeanor.

Welsh drew his phase pistol and took a step toward the cat, trying to see whatever it was that had her attention.

Batty leaped into the air, swatted at something with her paw, and landed clumsily on the deck. Another swift swat, and Batty was crunchily chewing on something with catly gusto.

Welsh, not relaxing his guard, took another step closer to the cat.

"There is no need for alarm," T'Pol informed him dryly. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "I believe Batty has found one of Doctor Phlox's missing Lavarian flies."

* * *

Warp Core let out a chirruping meow. He had just rounded a curve in the corridor and had spotted Torpedo's search party. Tail straight up, he trotted toward them in a manner that could only be described as prissy.

"I swear," Trip said as he followed behind the cat, "with all that fluffy fur, from this angle he looks like he's wearing pantaloons."

Malcolm frowned as Trip and Foster joined them. "I get the impression you're not taking this seriously, Commander." If Malcolm's comment, delivered with a more pronounced British accent than usual, wasn't enough to indicate that he wasn't pleased with Trip's attitude, the use of the engineer's rank was.

"Can you blame me, Loo-tenant?" Trip rejoined sarcastically, then seemed to catch himself. He exhaled heavily. He kept his eyes on the orange cat, which was twining around Hoshi's ankles. "I'm sorry, Malcolm. I know this is important. It's just... Can you imagine when this gets out to the rest of Starfleet? It won't be too bad for me, 'cause I'm just following orders, so I can take any teasing or jokes. But this whole idea was yours -- and you're a security officer!"

Malcolm managed a rueful smile. "Ah, but imagine the reaction when we're successful."

"Don't you mean 'if'?" Trip asked.

"Uh, guys?" Hoshi put in. "We really should concentrate on what we're doing." She turned to Malcolm, Torpedo peering down from her arms to watch Warp Core who was now rubbing against the tactical officer's legs. "Shouldn't we check the intersecting corridors?"

"Right," Malcolm said. "First things first, though." He pulled a communicator from one of his pockets and flipped it open. "Reed to Commander T'Pol."

A moment later, she acknowledged his hail.

"Please join us at the main corridor intersection on B deck," Malcolm said into the communicator.

_"On our way."_

By the time Malcolm had walked a few steps down the corridor to a com panel, T'Pol's team was coming towards them from the direction of the bridge access stairway. He thumbed a button on the panel. "Reed to the bridge. Shut emergency bulkheads for Section B-one."

"_Understood,"_ came Jon's voice over the com.

Within seconds, there came a rumbling strong enough that it could be felt under their feet.

Malcolm turned away from the com panel to face the others. "The sections we've just searched have now been sealed off. Nothing should be able to slip past us."

A/N: Stayed tuned for more of the search!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: This story, I should point out, is set near the end of Season 2, before the Xindi crisis.

CHAPTER 13

The three teams finished searching B deck, having emergency bulkheads closed behind them as they went, but failed to find any Suliban. That came as no surprise, since B deck consisted almost entirely of crew quarters and would be of little interest to anyone who wanted to hamper the operation of the ship.

They were ready to move down to C deck. With emergency bulkheads in place, however, all the stairwell and ladder accessways had been blocked. The three teams had to cram into the turbolift together. To avoid any tails or paws being stepped on, all the cats were held by their handlers.

Six people and three cats made for a crowded turbolift compartment. Only Batty complained. She hissed at Foster when he accidentally brushed against her in T'Pol's arms. Then Torpedo, being held by Hoshi, reached over and smacked the little black cat right between the ears with one of his front paws. Batty immediately retaliated with an ear-splitting shriek that sounded louder than it was because of the close confines of the turbolift.

A moment later, when the 'lift door opened on C deck, Trip was the first one out. He turned, Warp Core in his arms, to face the others as they exited. "My ears are ringing!!" the engineer said. "I don't think my hearing is ever going to recover from that."

T'Pol, a grimace on her face, stepped out into the corridor. "It was rather painful," she admitted.

She leaned down and gently placed Batty on the deck. The black cat immediately walked as far away from the group as the leash would allow.

Hoshi watched as T'Pol, Welsh and Batty moved off down the corridor to the right. Trip and his party walked off in the other direction. When that group was about five meters away, she saw Trip allow Warp Core to hop out of his arms to the deck. Hoshi wished she could trade cats with Trip; the muscles in her arms were aching from Torpedo's considerable weight.

She turned to Malcolm. "Isn't there a storage locker nearby?"

"A little farther along," Malcolm said, gesturing ahead down the corridor they were to search. As they started walking, he asked, "Why?"

"Because I'm tired of carrying this guy," she said. She gave the cat an affectionate squeeze. "No offense, Torpedo."

"Hoshi, you can't lock him up in a storage locker," Malcolm said. "That would defeat the purpose of what we're trying to do."

"I have no intention of locking him up," she said. "But there's something in a storage locker that I can use."

* * *

The search of C deck produced the same disappointing result as that of B deck. The only difference was that all three cats were now walking. As Hoshi had told Malcolm, most cats didn't like to wear a harness and be on a leash, but she had reached the point where Torpedo was just going to have to deal with it.

She had fashioned a crude harness from a coil of rope they'd found in the storage locker. Torpedo hadn't been terribly pleased about the arrangement. He'd vigorously fought the process of slipping the looped rope around his middle behind his front legs, then up his chest and back, and around his neck. Once Hoshi had attached a length of the rope to the harness for a leash, all the fight had gone out of him. He had flopped over on his side in the middle of the corridor as Malcolm tied knots in the harness so that it wouldn't tighten and bind uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure this is going to work," Malcolm said dubiously as he got to his feet after trussing up Torpedo. The cat was still lying there, his only movement the displeased slapping of his tail on the deck.

Hoshi wasn't about to be deterred so easily. She was bigger than the cat -- and smarter. She unzipped one of her pockets. "T'Pol's not the only one who knows how to train animals. A little bribery goes a long way."

Hoshi pulled a small plastic-wrapped package from her pocket. Torpedo's ears pricked up and his nose twitched. The packet made crinkly noises as she opened it. The effect on Torpedo was instantaneous. He was on his feet, prancing around hers, then standing on his hind legs with his front paws on her thighs. He meowed demandingly the entire time, his gaze riveted on the package in her hands.

"You have your secret weapon, and I have mine," Hoshi smugly told Malcolm as she placed a couple of pellets from the package on the deck in front of Torpedo.

"Some of the doctor's animal treats," Malcolm said with a small smile.

Torpedo gulped down the treats, sniffed the deck plating to make sure he hadn't missed any, and looked up expectantly at the package still in Hoshi's hand.

"Sorry, big guy," she told the cat. "No more until we get to the next deck. Now start searching!"

Torpedo sat on his haunches and continued to stare up at her. Not able to look at Malcolm for fear he'd be either laughing at her for trying to order a cat around or frowning because the search was being delayed, Hoshi pocketed the treats. "Come on," she said, giving the improvised leash a tug and starting off down the corridor.

Torpedo issued a surly meow. He stood up and followed her at the slowest possible pace that wouldn't result in him being dragged along. Behind him, Malcolm split his attention between watching the cat for any possible indication of Suliban and keeping a wary eye out for any intruders that he might be able to see.

* * *

_"Nothing to report on C deck," _came Malcolm's voice over the com. _"We're moving to D deck now."_

"Understood," said Jon. "Keep me informed." He clicked off the com on the armrest of his bridge chair. He looked forward to the helm position. "Everything all right, Travis?"

"All helm and navigation systems seem to be operating normally, sir," Travis responded.

"ETA for Rigel IV?" Jon asked.

Travis checked something on his console. "Eighteen hours, twenty-seven minutes."

Jon looked toward Kilpatrick at the communications console. The ensign shook his head; nothing was showing up on the scans from the quantum beacons.

Jon didn't know if the cats would find any more intruders, but since neither he nor his officers could come up with a better idea, he had been willing to go along with it so long as they arrived at Rigel IV on time.

As he waited for the next report from the search parties, he considered the possible reasons why the Suliban wanted to keep _Enterprise _from attending the inauguration. The majority of their previous dealings with Suliban had been with those who were willing pawns in the alleged temporal cold war. In return for genetic enhancements such as the ability to blend in with their surroundings, Suliban who were associated with a group known as the Cabal were willing to do their unknown masters' bidding.

He rubbed his temple. Time travel was confusing. No doubt something that would occur in the future because _Enterprise _had attended the inauguration at Rigel IV would be disadvantageous to a faction of the temporal cold war. But, since they'd decided to meddle in his present to change it, it was his problem.

His responsibility was to the here and now. The fact that _Enterprise _had become a front in some future groups' conflict angered him. There was no way he was going to let them -- whoever they were or would be -- interfere with _Enterprise'_s mission. Of that much he was certain.

Although he was familiar with every nook and cranny of the ship, he called up a schematic to have something to do. The search parties were on D deck. A good portion of that deck was allotted to crew quarters, but it also had the upper level of engineering and the observation lounge. He wouldn't put it past the Suliban to be sneaking unseen around engineering again. If not, they might be even lower on the ship, perhaps in the armory.

He gazed at the schematic, worried because engineering had entrances on both D and E decks. That would make it more difficult to be searched without any Suliban slipping by undetected.

Given that they were relying on cats -- _cats! _he thought with a mental grimace -- to find their prey, there was a good possibility that the search parties may have already passed by any intruders.

* * *

The search parties reached engineering, entering it from the upper level. After conferring with Malcolm and T'Pol, Trip's group walked around the upper level. T'Pol and her party waited just inside the main hatch on the lower level; Hoshi and her party waited just outside. Hopefully, nothing would be able to get by them.

Warp Core kept trying to linger in his favorite spots. When they reached the main floor, Trip had to remove the cat from his work table; the open lid of the tool box on the table was beckoning Warp Core to hunker down amongst the calipers and screwdrivers for a nap. When Trip hoisted the cat up to the warp control platform, he jumped back down, ran under the platform, and began grooming, lifting one front leg so that he could lick his chest.

"Come on," Trip said to him. "You can come back here when we're done."

Warp Core paused to look up at him, then went back to grooming.

Trip darted a glance at T'Pol, Batty, and Welsh near the entrance. T'Pol was watching them intently, as was the little black cat. In an aside to Foster, his security escort, Trip said, "Remember what I told you earlier." Lowering his voice even more, he threatened Warp Core, "Don't make me get a leash."

Warp Core looked at Trip and made an inquiring chittering noise.

"I mean it," Trip said. He patted his leg and took a step away.

Warp Core got to his feet. Trip took another step away, trying to entice the cat to follow him. Warp Core sat down.

With an exasperated sigh, Trip went to the cat and picked him up. "You're going to make me do this the hard way, aren't you?"

"Meow," Warp Core agreed.

Trip slowly walked around the main floor of engineering. Warp Core didn't seem to be interested in anything in particular. He looked at the crewmen at their stations. He turned his head to look at the bright indicator lights on the panels. His whiskers arched forward when Trip walked by Rostov who was drinking a cup of coffee at his post.

"Nothing," Trip said when he joined T'Pol's group near the entrance. "Warp Core seems distracted. I think he's bored."

"Perhaps my team should search engineering," T'Pol said.

"Be my guest," Trip said, scratching Warp Core under the chin as he held him. "Better safe than sorry."

T'Pol and Batty, trailed by Welsh, started off. From Hoshi's description of Batty's personality, Trip never thought he'd see that ornery little cat scared of anything. But here in engineering, which Batty had only visited once before but not when there were so many people working and making noise, she appeared intimidated. T'Pol had to tug on the leash to get her to move. When Batty made a soft, uncertain noise in the back of her throat, T'Pol picked her up. But instead of staying in T'Pol's arms, Batty climbed up higher. When T'Pol set off again, the cat was perched on her shoulder. They walked the entire perimeter of the main level of engineering and wound up back with Trip's group.

"Nothing," T'Pol said.

"We'll just have to hope that Malcolm is right and the Suliban aren't going to hit engineering again," Trip commented.

* * *

The search teams fanned out to cover the rest of E deck. Warp Core, now that he was away from his usual hangout, had demanded to be put down, and seemed content to follow Trip up and down the corridors. T'Pol allowed Batty to continue to sit on her shoulder as they covered their assigned search area. And Hoshi and Malcolm, with Torpedo now leading the way at the end of his rope leash, were making good time searching their area.

It was almost as if Torpedo knew what they were doing, Hoshi thought. As they neared the frosted glass doors of sickbay, she said to Malcolm, "I wonder if Torpedo is following his regular route that he takes every day when he roams the ship."

Malcolm, vigilant as ever, didn't look at her as he shrugged. "I know he does come to E deck. He visits Chef in the mess hall, and the doctor in sickbay."

Hoshi stopped when they reached sickbay. "Should we go in?"

"Sickbay is locked down right now, so nothing can get in or out," Malcolm said. "We'll wait until we're finished with the rest of this level, then have one of the other teams stay by the turbolift while we check in there. We'll do the same thing for the mess hall."

"Come on, Torpedo," Hoshi urged the cat, who had sat down while the humans with him had been talking.

Torpedo gamely got to his feet and took the lead again. They were close to the bow of the ship. The only thing this far forward were a few crew cabins, including the captain's. Hoshi didn't expect to find any Suliban in this area. She wasn't sure she expected to find Suliban anywhere on the ship, but she wasn't going to voice her doubts. Malcolm had put up with enough opposition from Trip about this search, but she had to agree with the engineer. Cats, while known for their stalking prowess, couldn't be relied upon in the same way a mechanical device could be. Cats just weren't dependable in that regard.

Torpedo was practically trotting now. Hoshi had to quicken her steps to keep up with him. Maybe he was just as eager to finish this search as she was. At least she didn't have to carry him any more. She could imagine what her arms and back would feel like if she had to carry him around for the entire search.

They were just about to pass by the captain's quarters when Torpedo froze, his eyes focused on the door to the cabin.

Hoshi glanced at Malcolm, who came up beside her, his phase pistol in his hand. He aimed and fired, but the only result was that Torpedo leaped back in surprise. No suddenly visible, incapacitated Suliban was crumpled on the deck.

Malcolm took a step toward the door and slowly put out his hand until he was touching the spot where Torpedo had been looking. He moved is hand from side to side along the surface.

"No Suliban on the outside," he said quietly with a touch of irony. "Could Torpedo be hearing something inside?"

"He might be hearing Porthos moving around," Hoshi said uncertainly. "Should we search inside?"

Malcolm frowned. "We've been going on the assumption that none of the doors or hatches on the ship have been opened since we started searching. Any unauthorized usage should have shown up on the equipment on the bridge. We know that Captain Archer's on the bridge, so his door shouldn't have been opened since he left his cabin this morning. I doubt anyone is in there, except Porthos." He thought for a moment. "It may be that Torpedo is picking up Porthos's scent."

"Yes, but Torpedo knows Porthos from the last time he was on board. He wouldn't be this..." She tried to think of the appropriate word. "...intent. Cautious, yes, but not like this," she said, pointing at the cat.

Torpedo was crouched low to the deck, his tail swishing, as he stared fixedly at the door. His ears were upright and aimed forward, as were his whiskers. He was in full stalking mode.

Malcolm looked thoughtfully at the access panel by the door. "Can you use this panel to hear what's going on inside, without letting anyone in there know we're listening?"

"Yes." Shifting the end of Torpedo's leash from her right hand to her left, she stepped over to the panel. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the code that would allow her to eavesdrop on what was happening on the other side of the door. It wasn't something communications officers talked about, but they all knew how to do it. She dredged up the code from her memory, opened her eyes and punched in the numbers.

She could hear the faint hum of an open connection when she finished. That was normal. But louder than the hum was a low growling. Porthos was upset about something. At her feet, Torpedo switched his attention from the door to the sounds coming from the panel.

Hoshi looked at Malcolm. He gave her a sharp nod and motioned her away from the panel. She stepped aside, grabbing Torpedo to keep him out of the way. She held the cat tightly as Malcolm punched in his security override.

Malcolm had just entered the last number when T'Pol, Batty and Welsh rounded the curve at the end of the corridor, heading in their direction. Hoshi was glad to see that reinforcements had arrived, just in case there was a Suliban in the captain's quarters. She motioned them to hurry.

She turned back toward the door as it slid open. Porthos's growling had changed to agitated barking. Something was definitely not right.

Then Malcolm, standing next to her, was violently slammed to the deck.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Hoshi barely had time to register Malcolm being slammed to the deck, the phase pistol flying from his grasp by the force of the impact, when she saw the faint shimmering of a Suliban in motion. In her arms, Torpedo tensed and uttered a chesty growl. Batty, on T'Pol's shoulder, issued her eardrum-piercing shriek. Porthos, now in the corridor after chasing the intruder out of the captain's cabin, was barking at the top of his lungs.

Scrambling to his feet, Malcolm yelled at Welsh over the animal uproar. "Shoot!"

The security officer hesitated. The shimmering had stopped, so Welsh had no way of knowing exactly where to aim. And there were too many people in close proximity to each other; he was bound to hit at least one of them, along with one or more of the animals, if he began firing indiscriminately.

The animals took matters out of Welsh's hands. Batty launched herself from T'Pol's shoulder. Torpedo broke free from Hoshi, landed on the deck, and rebounded in a powerful leap straight up. Even though both cats' leashes were being held by their handlers, the leashes were long enough that the cats' trajectories met about a meter and a half above the deck, equidistant between Hoshi and T'Pol. A sharp scream came out of nowhere as the cats suddenly seemed to hang suspended in the air. A second later, Porthos bit down hard on something below the cats, and the scream went up an octave.

A Suliban -- with the typical bumpy, mottled-looking skin of his species and wearing a form-fitting jumpsuit -- solidified as he fell flat on his back under the combined feline-canine assault. Batty was on his face, hissing and spitting as her claws dug in. Torpedo was biting and scratching him on the neck. Porthos, growling and tugging, had his jaws clamped like a vise on one of the Suliban's ankles.

"Stop!" screamed the Suliban, trying to pry Batty from his face. "Make them stop!"

Malcolm retrieved his pistol and aimed it at the intruder. "Why should we?"

"Please!" begged the thrashing Suliban. "Get them off me! I'll do anything you say. Just get them--" He broke off to scream again as Batty bit his nose.

T'Pol moved closer to carefully remove Batty. She detached the cat, claw by claw, from the Suliban's head. "Enough," she told Batty as she straightened and took a couple of steps back. "He cannot answer our questions if you continue to attack him in such a manner."

Batty growled softly she stared down from T'Pol's arms at the Suliban, who was looking back at her with wide, fear-filled eyes.

"Hoshi," Malcolm said, motioning toward Torpedo.

Hoshi moved warily toward the Suliban. The big gray cat had released his hold on the intruder's neck, but was still crouched on his chest as if holding him down, his nose a scant two centimeters from the man's chin. Hoshi was prepared for the Suliban to make a break for it as soon as she removed Torpedo, but the man seemed too scared to move.

Hoshi clasped Torpedo around his middle and hoisted him up so that his front paws were on her shoulder. Torpedo turned his head to keep the Suliban in sight.

The Suliban's eyes were fixed on the cat until she took a step away, then they shifted to the canine still worrying his ankle. He didn't look nearly as upset as he had been when the cats had been latched onto him. He looked inquiringly at Malcolm.

"Not yet," Malcolm said in response to the Suliban's unspoken request to remove the dog. "We want some answers first. How many more of you are on board _Enterprise_?"

A measure of Suliban haughtiness returned. "I'm not telling you anything," he said disdainfully.

Malcolm glanced at T'Pol. The Vulcan immediately placed Batty on the deck. The small black cat arched her back and began prancing sideways toward the Suliban.

"All right!" the Suliban said, holding up his hands to fend off the approach of the cat. "Two. There's just the two of us. The one you already caught. And me."

Malcolm's expression indicated he didn't believe the man. He looked at Hoshi, who correctly read the sardonic glint in the tactical officer's eyes. She placed Torpedo on the deck. Torpedo didn't approach the Suliban. He merely sat on his haunches, stared at the Suliban, and licked his lips. The Suliban whimpered.

"How many of you?" Malcolm asked again.

"I'm telling the truth!" the Suliban said. "There are only two of us!"

"What is your purpose here?" T'Pol asked.

"We...we were supposed to interfere with your visit to Rigel IV."

"Why?" asked Malcolm.

The Suliban began inching along the deck, dragging Porthos with him, as he tried to put distance between himself and the cats. "I don't know why. We were just told to do it."

"By whom?" T'Pol asked.

"I don't know!" the Suliban cried. "They contact us. We don't know who they are."

Hoshi saw Malcolm and T'Pol share a look. Malcolm indicated the Vulcan should pick up Batty again. To Hoshi, he said mildly, "Restrain your attack cat, would you?"

As Hoshi followed his order by taking up the slack in the leash so that Torpedo couldn't move away from her, Malcolm told Welsh to keep the man covered and then leaned down to grab Porthos by the collar. He led the dog back to the captain's cabin, the door of which was still open. He put Porthos inside, closed the door, and returned.

"Did you really think the captain's cabin would be a good place to hide?" Malcolm asked curiously.

The Suliban looked at both cats, as if weighing his decision to talk. Hoshi saw him shudder before he averted his gaze from Batty. "When the plan to interfere with your propulsion system failed, I was going to kill your captain. That would have hampered your visit to Rigel IV."

"To say the least," T'Pol murmured, one of her eyebrows rising.

Trip's search party, alerted by all the commotion, came around the corner at the far end of the corridor at that moment. Warp Core was once again leading the group, trotting purposefully ahead of Trip and Foster. When he saw the Suliban, the orange cat broke into a full run, a peculiar chirruping sound coming from him as he recognized his prey -- and that it was helpless.

The Suliban saw him coming. His eyes widened in terror and a scream erupted from his throat as Warp Core launched himself into the air. The cat landed on the Suliban's chest with enough force to drive the air out of the man's lungs.

The Suliban promptly passed out.

* * *

The two Suliban, both conscious, were cowering on biobeds in sickbay. One had recovered from his fainting spell and the other had been roused from his sedative-induced sleep by a hypospray administered by Doctor Phlox. There was no danger of them suddenly disappearing or shape-changing as had been feared. They were kept from using their chameleon-like talent, or any other unusual abilities they might have, not by the presence of several armed guards, but by one large gray cat, one larger orange cat, and one pint-size black cat.

Apparently ailurophobia -- the fear of cats -- was a common trait among Suliban; that much Phlox had been able to determine. The Suliban who had been captured first broke out in a sweat if one of the cats came close to him; the other, as they'd seen in the corridor outside the captain's cabin, would break down in hysterics.

The captain himself came down from the bridge to question the Suliban, but he didn't get any more information than the Suliban had already offered. They'd been ordered by beings from the future to interfere with _Enterprise'_s visit Rigel IV, but they didn't know for what purpose. If successful, they'd been promised more genetic enhancements.

T'Pol handed Batty over to Doctor Phlox when Jon indicated he wanted to speak to her. Despite the black cat's well-known anti-social attitude, she readily accepted being transferred; the treat Phlox offered Batty provided sufficient incentive for good behavior.

The small cat gobbling the treat got the attention of the other two cats. Warp Core, in Trip's arms, meowed inquiringly, and Torpedo, sitting on the deck, walked as close to Phlox as his leash would allow.

"Here," said Hoshi, who, holding Torpedo's leash, had been standing off to one side of the biobeds. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her packet of treats. She gave Torpedo a couple of the pellets, then passed the packet to Trip, who similarly rewarded a now squirming Warp Core.

The captain motioned Malcolm to join him and T'Pol near the main doors to sickbay, out of earshot of the Suliban.

"I'm not sure what to do with them," Jon said with a frown at his two officers. "I've contacted Starfleet, but Admiral Forrest thinks it would be best if we deal with this ourselves. He's of the opinion that taking the Suliban all the way back to Earth and making public what has happened would open a can of worms he's not sure would be worth the trouble."

"Can of worms?" T'Pol asked.

"A complicated situation," Jon said.

T'Pol accepted that explanation. She thought for a moment. "Vulcan has no jurisdiction in this matter. In any case, these Suliban claim their masters are from the future, and the Vulcan Science Directorate has determined that time travel is not possible."

Jon and Malcolm traded a wry glance at that comment.

"What about Rigel IV, sir?" Malcolm asked. "Ultimately, if the Sulibans' plan would have been successful, it might have had some sort of an impact on the Rigelians."

"We could turn them over to the planetary authorities on Rigel IV," Jon conceded, "but with the paperwork and regulations the Rigelians seem to favor, we could be here another three months. Besides, we don't know what the Suliban were trying to accomplish, other than keep us from attending the inauguration. The Rigelians might not want to become involved."

Jon looked at the two Suliban. They'd been hunched over, obviously afraid, when he'd first entered sickbay. Now that the cats' attention was on the treats instead of them, however, the prisoners' body posture was showing a renewed confidence. They were sitting straighter, and the one who seemed to be in charge had a sneer on his face.

Warp Core, his treat finished, jumped from Trip's arms to saunter toward the biobeds. The Suliban immediately shrank back, going so far as to draw their feet up onto the beds.

"We could just hold them until after the inauguration," Jon mused out loud. "Once that's out of the way, it's probably safe to assume that whatever they were trying to prevent or change will have happened, and we can let them go."

"We can't rely on the cats to keep them in line, not for any length of time," Malcolm pointed out. "The cats have to sleep some time, and I know it's past Torpedo's usual naptime as it is." He considered for a moment. "I could try to rig up some sort of confinement area for the Suliban."

"Do that," Jon ordered.

"Did the quantum beacon scans turn up anything?" T'Pol asked.

Jon shook his head. "If one of their ships is out there, they've done something that prevents us from detecting it with the beacons."

"There may not be a ship out there, sir," Malcolm said as he watched the two Suliban cower even more as Batty, now perched on Phlox's shoulder, hissed loudly. It didn't matter that she was hissing at Warp Core, who had come over to rub against Phlox's shins; the effect on the Suliban was the same. "I've been giving some thought to how they got on board. It's possible that they were on the _Southern Cross_, and came over when we were getting it ready to be towed."

Jon's eyes widened. "It's probably more likely they were on the space tug. Hoshi said the tug captain was afraid of cats. It might be possible that there are some Suliban who have received genetic enhancements that allow them to look like other species."

"It would be best to let Starfleet know that," T'Pol suggested. "At the very least, the captain's background should be investigated to see if he is really who he is supposed to be."

Jon nodded. "I'll do that as soon as I get back to the bridge. In the meantime, let's keep the cats here until Malcolm can fix up something to hold the Suliban."

"Yes, sir," Malcolm said. "I'll arrange with Doctor Phlox for the cats' accommodations here until a secure confinement area is set up."

As the tactical officer moved away, Jon sighed heavily. "Cats," he muttered. "How am I going to tell Starfleet about this and ever be taken seriously again? I can hardly believe it myself."

"The fact that the Suliban were apprehended before they carried out their plans may be sufficient. I would suggest that you do not offer details of their capture unless asked," T'Pol counseled. When Jon didn't respond, she gave him a sidelong glance. "If it is any consolation, Porthos was instrumental in apprehending the second Suliban."

Clearly pleased by this revelation, Jon perked up. "Really?"

T'Pol nodded serenely. "Batty and Torpedo attacked first, but the man did not become visible until Porthos assisted them."

Jon chuckled happily. "It looks like the cats aren't the only ones who will be getting extra treats today," he said with a smile.

From across sickbay, Phlox's voice rang out. "I heard that, Captain! Remember, no cheese, or you'll be back here with Porthos before the night is over."

A/N: One more chapter to go.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: This chapter turned out to be a little longer than I anticipated, but some loose ends needed to be tied up.

CHAPTER 15

EPILOGUE

_Enterprise _arrived on schedule at Rigel IV for the planetary governor's inauguration. Jon, T'Pol, and Malcolm, along with the two security officers who were the honor guard, took a shuttlepod down to the planet. They sat through the five-hour event with nothing untoward happening other than the restlessness that a long ceremony could cause.

When it was time for Jon to give the traditional speech expected of high-ranking visitors, he recited it without a flaw. The new Rigelian governor was suitably impressed, thanked him, and moved on to the next off-world dignitary.

When the ceremony was finally concluded, those from _Enterprise_, along with everyone else, were led into a spacious hall where a post-inauguration party was to be held. Jon could see a reception line forming. It started near the entrance, and already was halfway around the room. He groaned. They were going to be here another couple of hours at least, exchanging pleasantries with what looked like half the population of the planet.

* * *

Malcolm, much to his chagrin, hadn't been able to come up with a viable confinement area for the Suliban before he had to accompany the captain's party to the inauguration. For the time being, the prisoners were staying in sickbay where the presence of the cats would, hopefully, keep them from using any of their special abilities to escape. Hoshi and Trip had been delegated to take alternating shifts watching the cats watch the Suliban.

Currently, Hoshi was on duty. Warp Core was curled up asleep on a countertop, his deep breathing occasionally punctuated by a snore. Batty had taken over the top of Phlox's primary diagnostic scanner, from where she had a good view of sickbay, but she had adopted a sleeping-while-sitting stance some cats seemed to favor. As a result, Hoshi was carrying Torpedo around to keep him awake. She wouldn't put it past the Suliban to try to sneak out of sickbay if all three cats were napping.

Doctor Phlox volunteered to be a temporary cat holder, taking Torpedo from her so that she could rest her arms. She had just managed to work out the kinks in her muscles when a crewman rushed into sickbay. He'd accidentally burned his hand with a plasma torch. The doctor had to turn Torpedo back over to Hoshi; his regular medical duties took priority over everything else, including guarding prisoners.

"I'm sorry I can't do more to help you," Phlox told Hoshi as he sent the injured crewman off after treating the burn. "But I will remain in sickbay as long as our 'guests' are here."

Hoshi gave him a smile. Phlox's presence wasn't absolutely necessary, for Malcolm had stationed two armed guards in sickbay. But it was sweet of the doctor to be concerned about her. "Thanks," she said. "I'd say I don't mind doing this, but it is tedious. The cats aren't the only ones who would like to take a nap."

Unable to stop herself, she yawned widely. The last twenty-four hours had been busy, what with the search and capture of the Suliban and then making sure Jon knew his speech, and now she and Trip were taking two-hour shifts with the cats, which didn't allow much time for her to rest during her off-duty time. In her arms, Torpedo mimicked her yawn with one of his own that showed off gleaming white fangs. "Stop that!" she chided him gently.

Phlox checked a clock on one of the work stations. "The ceremony should be over soon, I believe. Then the captain will make a decision about our visitors, hmmm? You shouldn't have to do this much longer." He looked at the two Suliban. They were still on the biobeds, one sitting, the other reclining. Both were warily watching the cat in Hoshi's arms. "Perhaps we could conduct some experiments while we're waiting," he said thoughtfully.

Hoshi had to stifle another yawn before she could ask, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I don't know," he said with a shrug. "Maybe you could walk toward our guests, and I can measure the distance between them and Torpedo when they start to exhibit outward signs of their cat phobia."

"Doctor!" Hoshi cried. "That's not very nice -- or ethical!"

Phlox grinned widely, his bright blue eyes sparkling. "I was joking. But it did wake you up, didn't it?" He paused. "It is curious, though. The Suliban are terrified of cats to the extent that it inhibits their ability to use their genetic enhancements. But it also seems that the cats have an instinctual distrust of the Suliban."

"I noticed that, too," Hoshi said. "I mean, Batty doesn't like anybody, so you can't use her as any indication. But Torpedo and Warp Core are just the opposite. They really do like people, no matter who they are."

Phlox tilted his head to one side as he studied the Suliban. "Their home world became uninhabitable several centuries ago, and they've been a nomadic species ever since. I suppose it's possible there was some creature similar to your Earth cats to which they were adverse on their original world."

"That might be," Hoshi said, "but it doesn't explain why our cats took such a dislike to--"

She stopped talking as a soft, vibrating sound filled sickbay. All three cats were suddenly awake and alert. Hoshi looked around sickbay, trying to find the source of the sound. When she did, she hugged Torpedo tightly and cried out, "Doctor!"

The Suliban were fading from view. They weren't using their chameleon-like ability, which allowed them to blend in with their surroundings. Rather, they were dematerializing in a manner similar to what happened when a transporter was used.

"I see it," Phlox said. He took two quick steps over to the diagnostic scanner, scooped up Batty, then turned to the adjacent counter and somehow managed to take Warp Core in his arms as well. Batty, for once not having a fit about her personal space being violated by another of the cats, scrambled up Phlox's chest onto his shoulder to make room for the big orange cat.

Hoshi let out a sigh of relief as the two Suliban disappeared completely and the noise of the transport ceased. She'd been afraid one or more of the cats might run toward the escaping prisoners and be caught in the transporter beam.

_"Bridge to sickbay!"_

Phlox was trying to disentangle himself from both Warp Core and Batty, so Hoshi went to the com panel near the door. She had to rearrange Torpedo in her arms to free a hand so that she could push the button to answer the page. "Sato."

_"Hoshi? Is everything all right down there?"_ came Travis's voice.

"No," she replied. "The two Suliban were just transported out."

_"I was afraid something like that might have happened. The quantum beacon scanners picked up a Suliban stealth cruiser not more than a minute ago, but now it's gone."_

Phlox, having deposited Warp Core on one of the biobeds but with Batty still riding on his shoulder, came to join Hoshi at the com panel. "It could be worse, Travis," he said sympathetically. "They didn't attack the ship, or cause any more mayhem before they left."

What sounded like a groan came over the com. _"Yeah, but I'm not looking forward to telling the captain about this. It happened while I was in charge of the ship. How am I supposed to tell him the Suliban escaped?"_

Hoshi leaned toward the com panel. "The captain wasn't sure what we were going to do with the Suliban anyway." She gave Phlox a conspiratorial grin. "He might appreciate being informed about this right away, Travis. They've been down on Rigel IV for..."

"Six hours," Phlox supplied after a glance at the clock.

"Six hours," Hoshi repeated. "You know how much the captain likes long, drawn-out diplomatic functions."

_"He doesn't like them at all! That could work. He might be looking for an excuse to leave by now. Thanks for the idea,"_ Travis said and signed off.

Phlox turned to Hoshi and gestured toward the empty biobeds. "You know what this means, don't you?"

Hoshi let Torpedo jump down to the deck. The big gray cat stretched, his front legs extended before him as, the front half of his body close to the floor, he pushed backward with his hindquarters in the air. That accomplished, he vigorously shook his entire body. When he finished, Hoshi could have sworn the cat wore an expression of supreme satisfaction as he sat on his haunches and serenely surveyed the area.

"Yes, I do know what this means, Doctor," Hoshi said with a smile. Torpedo had the right idea -- she raised her arms above her head and luxuriated in her own joint-popping stretch. "I'm not on guard duty any more, and we can get these cats out of your sickbay."

Batty chose that moment to leap from Phlox's shoulder to the floor. She landed, light as a feather, less than a whisker's length from Torpedo. She glared at the much bigger cat, smacked him between the eyes with a black velvet paw, and stalked off. Torpedo, looking confused, shook his head.

"What was that about?" Phlox asked bemusedly.

"I think Batty's paying him back for hitting her in the turbolift yesterday," Hoshi said with a laugh. "And they say elephants are supposed to have good memories!"

"Elephants?" Phlox asked, intensely curious. "I've heard of those creatures, but I'm not familiar with them. Do you think it's possible I could get one of those--"

"Let me show you a picture of how big an elephant is," Hoshi said, moving toward one of the computer terminals. "Then you can tell me if you think Captain Archer would let us get one as a pet."

* * *

Chef artfully arranged salmon pate on three small plates, each with a sprig of Kentucky rye grass as garnish, on the table in the captain's private dining room. When he was satisfied with their presentation, he turned his attention to a bowl of kibble.

"Do not let the doctor know about this," he warned, tapping the container from which he was pouring sauce over the dog food.

"I won't," said Jon. He had been watching Chef put the finishing touches on his latest culinary masterpieces. It wasn't important that those eating would not be human, or Vulcan, or Denobulan; Chef took his cuisine seriously no matter who would be consuming it. Jon could tell from the aroma that the sauce was cheese-based -- Porthos's absolute favorite treat. Jon said wryly, "The last thing I want is to be in the dog house on both your and the doctor's accounts."

"But this is the least we can do for those who helped capture the intruders, no?" Chef remarked. "And it was good that man's best friend did not let the cats take all the credit."

Jon had to laugh at that. He knew Chef liked the cats -- he wouldn't be growing lawn grass for them in the galley if he didn't -- but he'd always had a soft spot for Porthos. Jon was pleased that at least one other person besides himself could recognize that the dog had played a role in recent events. He had been afraid that poor Porthos was going to get an inferiority complex if one more crewman extolled the virtues of the members of what was now being called _Enterprise'_s feline security squad.

And once Chef had informed him that he planned to make special treats for the pets, he'd held off on his own treat for Porthos. No sense in letting the dog make himself sick simply because Jon was proud of him.

The door to the private mess opened to allow several people to enter. T'Pol was first, with Batty walking alongside in her red harness and leash. Hoshi was next with Torpedo, who was now outfitted in a real harness and leash instead of the makeshift rope affair. Trip, carrying Warp Core, was next, followed by Malcolm.

As the doors slid shut, Trip asked, "Where's the other guest of honor?"

Before Jon could answer, Warp Core let out a strident meow and began squirming in Trip's arms. The engineer allowed the orange cat to jump to the floor. As the cat bobbed up and down on his legs, obviously preparing to jump onto the table, Trip stepped in front of him, pointed at him, and said loudly, "No!"

The cat stopped and sat down, his nose twitching. He looked toward the table where the salmon treats were waiting, then tilted his head to look up at Trip as if to say, "Are you serious?"

Jon's jaw dropped. "Did I just see a cat obey 'no'?"

Trip looked smug as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes, you did."

"Did you train him to do that?" Jon asked.

"Much as I'd like to say I did," Trip said, "no, I didn't train him. When I tell him like that not to mess with certain things in engineering, he stays away from them. It's a sign of his natural intelligence."

Surely Trip was kidding, Jon thought. He glanced at his other officers to see their reaction. T'Pol remained impassive, and Malcolm had one of those smirks on his face. When his gaze reached Hoshi, she smiled and shrugged.

"They do say the more you talk to cats, the more they understand," Hoshi said.

"And believe me," Trip said, "I've done more than my share of talkin' to Warp Core in the last day or so."

Batty, scenting the salmon, jumped onto the seat of one of the chairs. As she raised her head high enough to see what was on the table, T'Pol reached over and picked her up. "There are also times when they understand but choose not to obey," T'Pol said.

"Looks like my cat's got better manners than yours," Trip said with a grin.

T'Pol turned a glare on him, but before she could muster a scathing rebuttal, the door slid open again.

"Just in time!" Jon said as Travis walked in with Porthos trotting behind him. He'd asked the helmsman to take the beagle for a walk while he finished up his report to Starfleet before this celebration. "Come here, Porthos."

Porthos hesitated, taking in the group of people and the three cats. The hackles on his neck went up as he spotted Torpedo not more than two meters away from him.

Hoshi hurriedly picked Torpedo up out of harm's way.

"Porthos!" Jon said forcefully.

The beagle finally obeyed, walking quickly to his relieved master who had been worried a fight might erupt. Barring that, Porthos not obeying him didn't look good in front of his senior staff.

"Good boy!" Jon said. He reached for the bowl of kibble. Looking at Chef, who had been standing to one side, he asked, "Can I give this to him now?"

Chef nodded graciously.

"I think that's our cue," Trip said, reaching for one of the plates of salmon pate. He placed it on the floor in front of Warp Core, who immediately dug in as if he hadn't eaten in days.

T'Pol put Batty back on the chair and placed a plate next to her on the seat. The small cat began to eat with dainty bites. Meanwhile, Hoshi was struggling to hold onto Torpedo, who didn't want to miss out on the treat. She was saved by Malcolm, who picked up the last plate and placed it on the floor a short distance from the others. Torpedo made a beeline for it as soon as she put him on the floor.

Jon had given Porthos his treat, too. The beagle, after one last suspicious look at the cats, began quickly gulping down the kibble. He soon had finished it and was licking the bowl to get the last traces of sauce.

"I wish I could have seen them take down that Suliban," Travis said as he watched the animals eat.

Jon still couldn't quite believe several small animals had been responsible for catching the intruders, but his officers said it had happened, so it must be true. As it was, he'd glossed over the details of the capture in his report to Starfleet. He gestured toward the table. "Chef has made a little something for us, too. Why don't we sit down and enjoy it. Chef?"

Chef headed off toward the galley to bring out the people treats. By the time everyone was seated, all the animals had finished their treats. Porthos came over to sit next to Jon's feet, as if protecting him from the cats. The cats, meanwhile, were cleaning up, licking their paws and passing them over their faces.

"What the--!"

At Malcolm's startled exclamation, every face turned toward the tactical officer. He was leaning back in his chair, his hands away from his sides, with one very small black cat on his lap. Of all the people Batty disliked, she disliked Malcolm most. She hadn't ever wanted him to touch her, so Malcolm's reaction to her vaulting onto his lap was understandable.

"What is she doing?" Malcolm asked with a stunned expression as Batty stood on her hind legs and began pushing on his chest, first with one front paw, then the other.

Hoshi laughed. "I think she's decided she likes you. She's 'happy dancing'.''

A soft, rumbling purr came from Batty as she continued to knead Malcolm's chest. He slowly relaxed and brought one hand up to lightly caress her back. With an even louder purr, Batty stopped 'dancing' and curled up on his lap, nudging her nose against his hand to demand more petting.

Seeing the change in Batty, Jon decided that anything was possible. Perhaps the cats -- with the help of his faithful beagle, of course -- had indeed been capable of bringing down a dangerous alien intruder.

* * *

Hoshi was content that evening as she snuggled under her blankets in bed. Torpedo was draped over her feet, and Warp Core was curled up next to her, his purring a steady, soothing sound. She wondered if T'Pol experienced this when she retired for the evening with Batty.

T'Pol certainly had looked put out when Batty had suddenly taken a liking to Malcolm at the party in the captain's private mess, Hoshi thought with a chuckle. Not that the Vulcan had anything to worry about. Malcolm had made it clear that he considered Batty's change in attitude only a temporary salmon-induced truce. Hoshi doubted Batty would be taking up residence in Malcolm's quarters any time soon. Besides, Torpedo was the official armory cat. She could imagine the mischief the gray cat could make in the armory if he became jealous.

They'd received two messages from the bridge during the party. One had been from Starfleet, informing them that the tug captain had disappeared. The other two crewmen on the tug had woken one morning to find the captain gone. Despite being one man short, they managed to bring the _Southern Cross _back to Earth, where it was undergoing repairs.

The other message had been from Hannah, the little girl to whom Warp Core, Torpedo, and Batty belonged. She had obtained permission from her father, the _Southern Cross'_s captain, to send a copy of their revised schedule to Hoshi. That way, Hannah had told her in a surprising mature manner for someone not yet ten, Hoshi would know when her family's cargo ship would be near _Enterprise _and the cats could be returned to her. Until then, Hannah entrusted their care to Hoshi and the crew of _Enterprise_.

A smile crossed Hoshi's face as she drifted off to sleep, knowing that _Enterprise'_s three feline friends would be with them for at least a while longer.

A/N: Thanks to all of you who stuck through this entire story. Leave a review and let me know how you liked it.


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